


Flesh and Bones

by Arionrhod, McKay



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-21
Updated: 2017-05-20
Packaged: 2018-11-03 02:07:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 42,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10957443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arionrhod/pseuds/Arionrhod, https://archiveofourown.org/users/McKay/pseuds/McKay
Summary: Non-magical AU. FBI agent Remus Lupin had no idea what he was getting into when he consulted with expert forensic anthropologist, Severus Snape, to help solve a murder. Snape  is invaluable in helping with the case, but Lupin wants to give him a few clues about love as well.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Written in 2010. Content: violence and gore in the form of descriptions of dead bodies. Nothing worse than you'd see in any police procedural or medical drama.

Summers in Washington, D.C., were unpleasantly hot and humid, and Remus Lupin was grateful that he only had to walk a few blocks from his office in the FBI Building to the Museum of Natural History on the National Mall. He could have taken a cab, but it would have taken longer to get through the city traffic than to simply do it on foot.

There were a line of tourists outside the glass doors waiting to go through security, but Remus mounted the stairs to one side and pulled out his identification, waiting patiently as the guard examined it. Security was tight, but Remus approved; there was no sense taking any chances when any one terrorist or criminal could murder hundreds of innocent people. He'd gladly experience a bit of inconvenience to help insure that the visitors who thronged the nation's capital could experience it in relative safety. As an agent of law enforcement who had seen more than his share of violent crime - and who had killed far more than his share of people - he was highly aware of the terrible fragility of human lives.

Once admitted, Remus stepped into the high, cool foyer, moving past the huge elephant which was the central display. He had an appointment with the head of the Forensic Division, Minerva McGonagall, and he was looking forward to speaking with her again. She'd been a guest lecturer during some training he'd taken at Quantico, and he'd admired her tart brand of common sense about the vagaries of criminal investigations.

The administrative offices were in the basement, and Remus again had to show his identification to gain access. Shortly thereafter he was striding down a coolly lit corridor, stopping before a door that read "Minerva McGonagall, Director of Forensics." Lifting a hand, he knocked, and then entered at the sound of a brusquely spoken invitation. 

"Remus! It's good to see you again!" Minerva said, rising from behind her desk and holding out a hand to him. "It's been a long time, but I was so pleased to see your name on my appointment calendar. How are things at the Bureau?"

"Busy, as you can imagine," Remus replied, taking her hand and shaking it. He smiled, glad to see that Minerva hadn't changed a bit in the two years since he'd last seen her - she could have been a schoolmistress, with her severely pulled back greying hair and glasses. "You're looking wonderful! I imagine museum work must suit you better than lecturing a bunch of agents."

"Thank you." Minerva returned his smile as he grasped her fingers firmly. "I do love my work, but you know what that's like, because you love yours as well." She released his hand and gestured to the seat before her desk. "That's why I knew this wasn't simply a social call. Why don't you have a seat and tell me what I can do for you? We can catch up afterward - otherwise I'm going to die of curiosity!"

Remus nodded, releasing her hand and moving to settle into the indicated chair. "You're right, it's not social," he said. "I've come to you because we've run across a set of human bones with some very unusual markings. Teeth marks - or at least we _think_ they're teeth marks. But we can't tell what kind of animal made them, and they weren't scattered as you'd expect in an animal attack. I remember in some of your lectures you talked about ways to make those kinds of identifications, so I was wondering if you would be willing to take a look and tell us what you think?"

Minerva's brows rose. "Well, that _is_ an intriguing problem," she said, tapping her chin thoughtfully with a finger. "And yes, I spoke about the identification process, although that's not my area of expertise. It's actually the work of one of my best forensic anthropologists and his team. But I'm afraid he's a little, um, difficult to work with."

"No problem," Remus said easily, pleased that there was someone who might be able to cast some light on the bizarre case that had perplexed every forensics specialist at the Bureau. "I can work with anyone."

For a moment Minerva simply looked at him, then she smiled wryly and rose to her feet. "Dr. Severus Snape isn't like anyone you've ever met before," she said. "But I'll introduce you. Just remember one thing, Remus..."

"What's that?" he asked.

"You asked for this."

* * *

Severus huffed in annoyance when Granger stuck her head in to tell him there was someone waiting to see him in his office; he was _busy_ , and he didn't like interruptions when he was busy, but he supposed whoever-it-was would object to waiting the two or three more hours it would take until Severus was finished with the task at hand. He spared a glance for the remains on the table before going to wash his hands and check for blood-and-bits on his clothes. He had learned early in his career that most people weren't as blase about such things as he was, so he had developed the habit of checking his appearance regularly for anything objectionable.

He arrived in his office less than ten minutes later and walked through the door that bore a no-nonsense plaque reading "Dr. Severus Snape: Forensic Anthropology" into a small room with dark wood paneling and minimalist furniture. He had plenty of books stuffed into the shelves lining every inch of available wall space, but little in the way of personal mementos. To him, it was useless detritus, and he preferred his space as well as his life to be uncluttered.

A man sat in one of the two chairs across from Severus' desk, and Severus moved to stand beside the other chair and looked down to get his first look at the visitor.

"I'm Dr. Snape," he said. "I understand you wanted to see me."

The visitor smiled, rising to his feet with smooth grace that was surprising for a man of his size. Broad shoulders filled out the tailored black jacket he wore, and the crisp whiteness of his shirt made his eyes look very blue. His teeth were bright in his tanned face, and his brown hair was well cut but tousled as though he'd been out in the wind. He held out a large hand in a businesslike fashion. "Yes, Dr. Snape. I'm Special Agent Remus Lupin with the FBI. Minerva McGonagall sent me to you as the go-to man for mysterious bones."

Severus became aware of the physiological signs of sexual attraction as he studied Agent Lupin, signs which only intensified with physical contact when he clasped Agent Lupin's hand and shook it. Lupin's grip was firm but not overpowering, and Severus approved of the notable lack of dominance games that some other men played when meeting a potential threat. Lupin was clearly strong and fit - prime alpha male material - but that he didn't need to prove it by gripping Severus' hand too tightly or showing off his strength implied confidence in his masculinity, a trait that Severus also found attractive along with blue eyes and broad shoulders.

"I see." Severus gestured to the chair, a silent invitation for Lupin to have a seat again, and he skirted around his desk to take his place behind it. Bracing his elbows on the arms of his chair and clasping his long fingers beneath his chin, he regarded Lupin inquisitively. "What does the FBI want with a forensic anthropologist?"

Lupin sat down, leaning slightly forward in the chair, his expression becoming focused and intense. "We need someone to help us identify some odd markings on a set of bones that were discovered in an investigation," he replied. "We've had every forensics specialist at Quantico look at them, and there is no consensus on what made the markings, or whether or not they even have anything to do with the manner of death, or if they were made later. Dr. McGonagall gave a series of lectures that I attended a bit over a year ago, and I recalled she mentioned methods for making such a determination. When I went to see her, she sent me to you. If you're willing to help, the Bureau would be most appreciative."

Severus had no objections to assisting with a federal investigation, and what Lupin described was intriguing enough to interest him on a personal level, mainly because he found it difficult to resist an intellectual challenge.

"Certainly," he replied with a nod. "When and where?"

"We could go now, if you have time," Lupin said, smiling once again, seeming pleased at Severus' agreement. "I walked over from the Hoover Building, but I can be back with a car in twenty minutes to pick you up."

"That isn't necessary." Severus waved one hand dismissively. "My physical condition is adequate for a walk of that duration." He pushed back his chair and stood up, pausing long enough to fetch a pair of sunglasses from his top desk drawer. "Shall we?"

Lupin nodded, then turned for the door. Within minutes they were stepping out of the coolness of the museum and into the heat of the day.

The crowds on the sidewalk made it necessary for them to walk rather close together, although Lupin's size seemed to cause people to instinctively step out of his way. Or perhaps it was the way his eyes were constantly scanning the passersby, as though assessing them for some sort of threat. 

"We can go in through the back and straight to the garage," Lupin said, pointing to one side of the Hoover Building as it came into sight. "Unless you'd like a tour of the building - I don't know if you've ever been inside, but sometimes people are curious."

"Not really," Severus replied matter-of-factly as he walked beside Lupin, keeping up easily. "I'd rather see the bones. I'm more curious about those than about any building."

Lupin nodded. "Understandable, just thought I'd offer," he said easily. They skirted the building, then Lupin showed his badge to a guard at a tall, wrought-iron gate, which was opened to admit them to the garage. "Not far now. Hopefully we can make it out of DC before the afternoon rush starts."

Pulling a set of keys from his pocket, Lupin pushed a button, which caused the lights to flash on a large, dark, four-door sedan parked only a few spaces inside. It was a nondescript car, and Severus had little interest in cars beyond turning the ignition and pressing the gas pedal so he could drive where he wanted to go, but somehow, he didn't think this was Lupin's personal car. He opened the passenger side door and got in, fussing a little with the seat adjustment and seat belt before settling in.

"Where are we going?" he asked once Lupin got in as well.

"Quantico," Lupin replied, starting the car and immediately turning on the air conditioning. "The Bureau's Forensic Science building is located down there, along with the training academy. We moved the bones, but there is extensive documentation and pictures showing exactly how and where they were found." He backed the car out of the space with smooth efficiency, then gave Severus a look that held a bit of amusement. "If you do manage to make an identification, it will no doubt put several scientific noses out of joint. And I suspect they'll want to pick your brain, as well."

"I'll be happy to explain what they missed." Severus spoke without arrogance; he knew he was at the top of his field, and he was confident that he would find whatever the experts at Quantico had overlooked. Unraveling mysteries was his specialty, and it was what he enjoyed best. He was in control with bodies and bones; they would give up their secrets if you looked in the right place and paid close enough attention, and Severus found them far more easy to understand than living, breathing people, who were often the biggest mystery of all to him.

Lupin gave him another smile, then guided the big car out of the garage and into the city traffic. "So how long have you worked with Minerva?" he asked. "And do you have a particular specialty?"

Severus glanced sidelong at him, surmising that Lupin was the type of person who enjoyed small talk, which Severus did not. Still, it was an expected social convention, and he had no particular objections to it, other than considering it tedious. Besides, it wasn't as if he had anything else to do during the drive to Quantico; he'd walked out of his office without a book, which he attributed to intellectual distraction brought on by the prospect of a new challenge.

"I've been at the museum for three years," he replied. "I specialize in bones."

"I see." Lupin maneuvered them through the crowded streets smoothly, without becoming upset at the idiocy of other drivers. "It seems to be a very unusual field of study. Is it something you've always been interested in?"

"Not always," Severus replied, shaking his head. "I knew I wanted to go into a scientific field at a young age because that was where my aptitude lies, but I didn't decide on forensic anthropology until I was in my teens. I wanted to find out what happened to my parents. They disappeared when I was fifteen," he added as an explanation. "I thought I could gather facts and solve the mystery, but one must have the facts first before the mystery can be solved, and I find myself short on those."

"That must have been difficult for you," Lupin said, giving Severus a sympathetic glance. "Have you gone to the FBI to find out what they might have? If not, I'd be happy to help you."

Severus glanced at him, one eyebrow raised by the offer. "That's quite generous, especially considering I'm a complete stranger."

Lupin shook his head. "That's what the FBI is here for," he said. They stopped at a red light, and Lupin looked at him directly, his expression sober. "Besides, no child should ever have to go through something like that. Kids are supposed to be happy and cared for, not having to deal with what you did."

Severus thought about his time in the foster care system; it had only been for three short years, but it had seemed like longer because he had dealt with the mysterious disappearance of his parents on top of it. It might have been easier if they _had_ died, but instead, he was left with not knowing, no sense of closure. "I wasn't a 'kid' precisely," he pointed out for the sake of accuracy. "However, if you're willing to open a decades-old case for the sake of a stranger, I won't say no. It would be satisfying to find some answers at last." He studied Lupin for a moment, surprised by the seeming incongruity of an FBI agent talking like an idealistic caretaker. "Did you have a troubled childhood?" he asked, curious if his hypothesis was correct. "Is that why you care about what sort of childhood people have?"

"Partially." Lupin turned his attention back to the traffic as they started forward again. "I didn't have a storybook childhood - my father wasn't the greatest human being. Fortunately my grandfather was there for me, so at least I had someone. But mostly it's because I'm a father myself; I don't have custody of my son, but he never has to wonder if I'm there for him or not."

"Ah." Severus nodded, pleased that he had been correct: Lupin's idealism stemmed out of his personal issues. He did feel the need to offer a more precise correction to Lupin's statement, however. "You'll be there for him assuming you aren't killed in the line of duty," he said helpfully. "You _are_ in a highly dangerous line of work, after all."

Surprisingly, Lupin laughed at that. "This? It has it's moments, but this is tame compared to what I used to do." He gave Severus a sideways glance. "I'll keep your words in mind, however, and do my best not to get killed."

"I'm sure your son and anyone else who cares for you will appreciate that." Severus paused, wondering if he ought to follow up on what Lupin had said. It would be polite, and he found himself curious as to what could be more dangerous than being an active FBI agent. "What did you used to do?" he asked, curiosity getting the best of him at last.

"I was in the Army Rangers." Lupin's voice was casual. "I served as a sniper. DC only seems like a war zone to those who've not been in a real one."

Severus couldn't dispute the logic of that, and he regarded Lupin speculatively in light of this new information. "I suppose that's true," he said. "I've never been in a war zone. I do know how to fire a gun, though."

"Do you?" That seemed to catch Lupin's interest, and he shot Severus a quick glance. "An unusual skill for a bone doctor." He chuckled. "I assume it's not because you're worried about the bones ever getting back up to come after you."

"Of course not," Severus replied seriously. "Reanimating dead bodies, especially incomplete ones, is a physical impossibility. Therefore it isn't anything I should worry about. Nor should anyone else, for that matter. No, I hunt sometimes, but I only kill what I'm prepared to eat," he clarified. "I don't hunt for fun."

Lupin blinked, opened his mouth and began to say something, then closed it again. Severus couldn't tell if he was more taken aback by the comment about hunting or the one about dead bodies. "I agree," he said finally. "Killing for sport is wrong. Doing so for food or defense is a different matter entirely. What do you prefer to hunt?"

"Primarily deer," Severus replied, relieved that Lupin hadn't wanted to argue about reanimation. He and Regulus had once gotten into a heated debate over that very issue, and Regulus had refused to acknowledge the impossibility of creating "zombies", insisting that the government had secret stockpiles of biochemical weapons that could turn the human populace into mindless, flesh-eating zombies. _It'll be just like 28 Days Later! You'll see_ , Regulus had shouted before storming off, likely to post about his indignation over nonbelievers on some internet forum for conspiracy theorists. Severus had let him go, not wanting to continue debating what was essentially a non-issue, especially since he had no idea what 28 Days Later was. "I'm fond of venison. I do hunt small game sometimes, but I don't have time to hunt much of anything at all these days."

"I imagine you don't live inside the Beltway, then?" Lupin asked. They were nearing the entrance ramp for I-395, which would carry them out toward the Beltway itself. "I doubt that many people living downtown have ever tasted venison; some of them may never have seen a deer."

"No, I live in Virginia and commute. I prefer living somewhere quiet and less populated. I'm not a people person." No doubt Severus' colleagues would have laughed and called that a massive understatement, but Severus was merely stating the facts about himself as he knew them to be.

"Ah. I live in Virginia, too - Springfield. It's about as convenient as you can get for both downtown and Quantico." Lupin glanced at him quickly. "If you didn't drive in, I could drop you off at your home when we're finished and save you a trip."

"No, I took the train." Severus glanced sidelong at him, surprised once again. "You don't have to give me a ride home. We're strangers, and I've never heard of offering transportation being standard FBI protocol."

"You're doing us a favor, so it would hardly be fair to take you back into the city, just to have to turn around and take the train back out again," Lupin replied, giving a small shrug. "Seriously, it isn't any problem. You'll also be reimbursed for your time, you know - courtesy of your Uncle Sam. The government may do a lot of stupid things, but the FBI doesn't shortchange their consultants."

That made logical sense to Severus, and so he nodded. "All right, then." He paused, amused by the thought of being an FBI consultant; he'd never expected to be in this position, and he wasn't in it for the money but the challenge. "I've never been an FBI consultant before. Is there anything I should know? I'm not currently armed, if that matters."

Lupin chuckled at that. "Nothing special, really," he said. "Minerva has done it, of course, and it's really not all that exciting. You just do what you do best, then I'll use that information in my investigation. If everything works the say we'd like it to, I catch the bad guy, he goes to jail. Oh, sometimes there is the need for expert witnesses at trial, but I don't think that would apply in this case. If it _was_ an animal that caused the death, then there's no one to catch."

"Perhaps it will be like the 'Murder in the Rue Morgue'," Severus said, a little excited by the prospect of being involved in a close approximation of one of his favorite works. "I haven't heard of any orangutans escaping the zoo lately, though."

"Neither have I," Lupin agreed, his lips twitching slightly. "But you never know what odd pets people keep these days. I was on a case one time where I was chased out of a suspect's yard by his pet ostrich." He shuddered at the memory. "They are singularly foul tempered birds, and they kick like a mule!"

Severus almost began explaining the reason behind an ostrich's powerful kick, but he remembered Bill's admonishment not to spout "info dumps" on what Bill called "unsuspecting strangers" and decided against it. Social conventions weren't his strong point, but he trusted Bill's judgment and tried to learn and adjust when he could.

"I had a pet snake once," he said instead. "A python. That's about as exotic as I've ever gotten, however."

"That's definitely more normal than some of the things I've run across." Lupin shook his head. "I've seen some odd things in my time with the Bureau. Some sad, some just out and out bizarre, and others... well, funny, I suppose, although it never feels quite right to laugh about it when someone has lost their life."

"Death never strikes me as funny. Then again, I'm told I don't have a sense of humor in general, so perhaps that has something to do with it," Severus mused. "I think, though, it's normal to see odd things when you're in your line or work or mine, as much of a contradiction in terms as that may seem to be. People find odd ways to live and to die." He shrugged slightly. "I can honestly say I've never been bored with my work."

"Neither have I," Lupin agreed fervently. "Sometimes I've wondered at my sanity, but it's never, ever boring." 

After that Lupin began to tell him of the various scientists who had examined the bones Severus was being taken to see, and within a very short time they were pulling through the gates of the FBI Academy and drawing up to the Forensic Science building.

"Here we are," Lupin said, unfastening his seatbelt. "I'm really interested to see what you make of it."

"It's probably something simple that your people missed," Severus said. "It shouldn't take long."

With that, he followed Lupin inside, feeling quite confident that he would solve the mystery with ease.

* * *

The forensics lab where the bones in Remus' case were being kept was sleek and modern, full of cutting edge tools whose purpose escaped Remus completely. He wasn't stupid by any means, but he also wasn't a scientist; he preferred to follow his instincts and intuition, something that tended to drive most squints crazy. That didn't bother him one bit, since the technical types weren't usually the ones putting their lives on the line when things went south on a case. He'd lived this long relying on his gut, and he had no intention of changing at this point.

He knew enough to be able to tell that the bones on the table were human, even without the obvious presence of the skull, and he could see they'd been damaged, but he had to take the word of the forensics guys that the marks were from teeth. Standing back, he watched as Severus began his own examination, intrigued despite himself.

Remus had met a lot of people in his life, but Severus was definitely different. Despite Minerva's words of warning he'd not found Severus difficult to get along with at all. From what he could see, Severus was the kind of man who focused on his work to the exclusion of almost all else, ending up as perhaps a little awkward when it came to dealing with other people. That didn't bother Remus at all, and he found Severus to be very interesting, and a bit quirky as well. 

And also very, very attractive.

For many years Remus had fought acknowledging his sexuality; good Roman Catholic boys weren't supposed to be far more attracted to their buddies on the football team than to the cheerleaders. He'd thought there was something wrong with himself and he'd been desperate not to be seen as "perverted" by his family, particularly his abusive father. His denial had remained all through his youth, and into his career in the army, culminating in the marriage which had resulted in the birth of his son - the only good thing to come out of those dreadful few months when he'd tried so hard to pretend an attraction to a wife he considered more like a sister than a lover. It hadn't ended well, but he knew it was his own fault, not hers, and he couldn't blame her for being angry. Fortunately he was involved with his son's life, and at least Teddy was as well-adjusted as could be expected, and he knew that both his parents loved him.

He'd still not been out of the closet when he'd joined the FBI, and the Bureau was hardly known to be a bastion of tolerance, despite all the stories about J. Edgar Hoover and his odd habits. He liked people, and he had lots of friends, but no one had come along to make him feel like risking everything. He'd had a few sexual encounters over the last twelve years, but he wasn't a promiscuous man by nature. Thus he'd resigned himself to having a life without a special someone in it, although he sometimes wistfully wished that things could be different.

Severus Snape was different from the type that Remus was normally attracted to as well. For some reason Remus had never noticed until now just how sexy hands with long, tapered fingers could be, or how fascinating deep dark eyes were. Severus wasn't classically handsome, not when taken feature by feature at least, but it was the way he was put together, lean and strangely graceful, with obvious intelligence and a directness Remus found refreshing. He'd never met anyone quite like Severus, and he found himself watching Severus in fascination, his powers of observation being put to good use as he watched everything Severus said and did.

At the moment, Severus appeared to be moving from confident to perplexed as he examined the remains, his dark eyebrows drawing into a sharp V over his prodigious nose. After spending several minutes peering at the bones and muttering to himself, he straightened and looked at Remus.

"I can't immediately identify the source of the marks," he said. "They're most unusual, and they don't match the bite marks of any common meat-eating predators in the area. I'd like to take these remains back to the museum and let the rest of my team help determine what caused these marks. Is that possible?"

Remus nodded. "I'll check them out with the evidence technician," he said, stepping toward the table and looking down at the bones. "Do you want all of them? Or just a few?"

"I want everything," Severus replied without hesitation. "Every bone, every shred of evidence that came with it. Even dirt would help, if you've got it. Regulus might be able to tell enough from that to help narrow the field."

"All right." Remus moved to the door, opening it and glancing beckoning for Penny Clearwater, the senior technician on duty. She approached him with a smile.

"Yes, Agent Lupin? What can I do for you?"

Quickly Remus explained what Severus wanted, and she nodded. "It will take me about half an hour to get everything packed up for transport," she said. "I'll get the forms ready and you'll be all set."

"Thank you," Remus replied, smiling at her. He appreciated efficiency, and it didn't hurt to have friends in Forensics.

He returned to Severus. "Everything will have to be packed up, so we have a few minutes. I can drop you at your home before taking everything in to the Bureau downtown for the night. Chain of evidence, you understand."

Severus was still frowning, as if the marks on the bones were a personal affront, and he nodded, obviously distracted. "Yes, that's fine. I should let my team know what's coming. Will we receive the evidence tomorrow, do you think?"

"Absolutely," Remus replied. "I'll bring it over myself. What time do you get started in the morning? I'll be there as soon as you can be ready for me."

"Eight o'clock." Severus fished a cell phone out of his pocket - one of the new touch screen phones that was more like a personal assistant, Remus noted. "We aren't working on anything with a pressing deadline, so we can focus on this case exclusively until we figure out what made those marks." It was clear from his voice and expression that he was determined not to be thwarted in his search for the truth.

"I'll be there," Remus said, pleased that Severus seemed so dedicated to finding an answer. He smiled, then stepped away so that Severus could make his call in private; for all Remus knew, he was about to call his wife and let her know he was on his way home.

But Severus didn't place a call; instead, he began to type, tapping out his message with the speed and ease of considerable practice. When he was finished, he tucked the phone away again and approached Remus.

"I sent an email to Regulus, Bill, and Hermione," he said. "Regulus is our entomologist, but he knows a great deal about spores and minerals, too, which is why I mentioned that dirt would be helpful. Bill is our specialist in craniofacial reconstruction. Hermione is my intern. She's still inexperienced, but she's quite bright. They'll all have something to add to the investigation, I think. Bill will want to cast a mold of the marks, and that will be our starting point."

"Dirt we have," Remus said. "And I'll bring a CD with all the pictorial evidence we collected. If we don't have enough, I can take Regulus to the place where we..." He stopped abruptly as his own cell phone rang, and he pulled it from his pocket. "Lupin." He listened intently for several moments, feeling himself tense at the news being relayed by his supervisor. "Yes, sir. I'll get right on it."

Turning to Severus, he raised a brow. "It seems that another set of bones has been found, not too far from where theses were discovered, and they have the same marks. Fancy a field trip, or do you need to get home?"

"Really?" Severus perked up with visible interest at that. "Yes, I would like to accompany you. It might help if I can see the site myself. At the very least, I'll have first-hand information to take back to the others."

"Excellent," Remus replied, pleased that Severus was willing to accompany him. "Is there anything you need to do, or anyone you want to call beforehand?" He gave a rueful smile. "I know just how easy it is to get caught up in a case, and I'd hate to get you in trouble at home by keeping you out till God knows when on an investigation."

"I don't need to call anyone," Severus replied, waving one hand. "I live alone, and I don't have a pet at the present time. I can stay on-site as long as need be." 

It was stupid to be relieved to hear that Severus didn't have anyone, but Remus felt it anyway. Telling himself that professional relationships were strictly that - and besides, Severus probably didn't even lean that way - he nodded. "Excellent."

Penny entered the room and set about packing up the bones with swift efficiency, carefully noting the numbered tags attached to each one. In short order she was passing over a clipboard, which Remus scanned and signed, before picking up the large box from the table.

"All right, then - shall we go?"

"I'm ready," Severus affirmed, moving into place by Remus' side as if he belonged there, which was unusual, considering they had just met. "Where are we going?"

"Anacostia," Remus said, naming an area of the Capitol that was well known for its high crime rate. "They're trying to revitalize the area, and there are some construction projects. That's how the first body was found - workers unearthed a shallow grave while staking out a site for excavation. It's similar circumstances this time, although I'm told the bones are closer to the river."

"Were you able to determine whether the victim was killed elsewhere and buried there, or does it appear that the death and the burial occurred in the same location?" Severus asked as he walked along beside Remus. 

"We haven't yet been able to determine that," Remus replied. "Hopefully this site will be better preserved and we'll find enough clues to tell us what we need to know." He frowned. "One body is random, two, however... I'm starting to get a very bad feeling about this."

Severus' expression turned thoughtful, a frown line appearing between his brows. "There is one other thing to consider: if this was the work of a feral animal, why were the remains buried? Not to mention Anacostia is not a prime location for predators. I cannot identify the creature, but I can say it was larger than a rat, dog, or cat, which are the only species that could plausibly inhabit that area. It seems unlikely that a large wild animal could wander in without being noticed."

"Good questions," Remus said, giving Severus an approving glance. "I agree, a wild animal would be unlikely there, but... well, there are all kinds of people, and there have been both cock fighting and dog fighting rings broken up recently. It isn't out of the question that a resident of the area could have something far more sinister and is using _that_ as a means of homicide - especially if the people were killed elsewhere and then brought to Anacostia and disposed of."

"Perhaps someone got bored with the cock and dog fights and thought bigger game would be more exciting. Bear-baiting, perhaps," Severus mused. "I'll relay the suggestion to my team in the morning."

"Sounds like a good plan," Remus replied, nodding. Severus really was very intelligent, and Remus admired him for that.

They'd reached the car, and he placed the big box on the trunk while he fished out the keys. Once the car was unlocked he placed the box on the rear seat, before sliding into the driver's seat. "Was there anything you needed before we headed in?"

"No, I can take notes and photographs with my phone, if I need to," Severus replied as he settled into the passenger seat and fastened his seatbelt. "I assume there will be gloves and masks available, if needed?"

"There should be - but if not, there are some in a box in the trunk." Remus believed in being prepared. "Not long after I started in the FBI I realized that almost anything can happen, so I try to have things on hand."

Severus looked at him with what appeared to be approval. "A sensible attitude. I prefer to be prepared as well." 

"I knew I liked you," Remus chuckled. He got them back on the freeway, pleased that they were moving against the flow of traffic and would be able to get there quickly. "If you like Italian food I'll consider you just about perfect."

"The human animal is inherently flawed, so even near perfection is impossible," Severus replied in what was becoming a familiar pedantic way. "But I do like Italian food." 

Remus laughed outright at that, completely delighted. He never knew what Severus was going to say next, and he found he liked it. "Have you ever been to Maggiano's in Bethesda? They're fantastic. I love their alfredo."

"No, I haven't been there," Severus replied, turning his attention to the passing scenery. "Do they have good chicken piccata? That is my favorite dish." 

"They have it, but I've never tried it," Remus admitted. Suddenly he wanted very badly to ask Severus to accompany him there to find out, but he knew it was far, far too soon. In fact it probably wasn't a good idea at all, given that they were working together in a professional capacity, but it didn't keep him from wanting to do it anyway. "If I find out, I'll let you know. So... where is your favorite place to eat?" That seemed a safe enough topic, one that would keep him from saying anything too dangerous.

"There is a diner within walking distance of work where I eat quite often, but that is more a matter of convenience than preference," Severus said. "I do like the food there, though. Beyond that, I don't have a favorite restaurant per se. There are different dishes at different restaurants that I like a great deal." 

"Sounds like me," Remus said. "I like to cook, but with my schedule I rarely eat at home." He made a face. "Too many fast food meals in cars. I have to be good about hitting the gym or else I'd look like one of the stereotypes of a donut-eating cop."

Severus turned to Remus, who found himself on the receiving end of a rather intense and lengthy scrutinizing look. "You appear to be in excellent shape, and you have an attractive physique," he said matter-of-factly with no trace of flirtatiousness in his voice. "Your time in the gym seems to be well-spent." 

For a moment Remus was non-plussed again; from the words he got the impression that Severus was possibly gay and also possibly found him attractive. Both of those were good things in his opinion, but Remus definitely didn't get the feeling that Severus was coming on to him.

Which shouldn't be disappointing, but was.

"Thank you," he replied. Then in a moment of recklessness he grinned. "I think you have a very attractive physique as well."

"Thank you," Severus said, sounding pleased by the compliment. "I too make time for exercise. I prefer to keep fit and maintain my stamina and flexibility in order to avoid certain physical issues that develop with age. It's a pro-active approach." 

"I would think so." Remus wasn't quite sure where to go with this, and so he decided a change of subject was probably in order for he said something really stupid. "Do you have any hobbies, Dr. Snape?"

There was a momentary hesitation before Severus replied, "I write. My first book was published last year." 

"Really?" Remus gave him a startled glance. "What is it about? Do you write under your own name?"

"I do, yes." Severus nodded. "It's a mystery. I decided to use my field of interest as the foundation of a fictional series of murders solved by a forensic anthropologist." He paused before adding, "I enjoyed writing it, but most people seem surprised that I was capable of it." 

"I'm not surprised that you're capable of it," Remus said. "What do they say... you should write what you know? And Minerva said you're the best at what you do, so that makes a lot of sense. I suppose if I wrote, it would be about an FBI agent, since that's what I know. I bet you're really proud, and rightfully so."

"I'm satisfied with the resulting novel, yes. I think it has a good pace and has the benefit of being scientifically sound," Severus replied, his words factual rather than boastful. "I enjoy writing more than I expected to, actually. It provides a useful distraction, and it's more productive than playing video games. Regulus keeps trying to convince me to play some sort of online multi-player role-playing game he participates in, but I would rather bash a keyboard than orcs." 

"I know what you mean. I'm not one for video games either." What Remus didn't say was that he'd killed enough real people in his life that laying waste to electronic doppelgangers held no attraction for him. "But I understand the need for a distraction. I have a drum set - I prefer bashing that."

"Are you any good at it, or is it simply a kinetic exercise?" Severus asked, seeming genuinely curious. His demeanor had undergone a small change; during the initial drive, Remus had gotten the impression that Severus had been making small talk for the sake of being polite, but he seemed to have warmed up. Remus was ridiculously pleased about that.

"I think I'm good, but... well, I suppose you'd have to hear and judge for yourself," Remus replied. "I'm definitely going to go out and get your book."

"Do you like mysteries? You needn't buy it just because you met me. I won't be offended," Severus assured him. 

"Actually, I do like mysteries," Remus said truthfully. "I haven't had a lot of time to read lately, but I want to make time for this. I'm looking forward to seeing what you wrote."

"In that case, I hope you enjoy it." Severus paused, then added, "I'll sign it, if you like. Some people enjoy that. My publisher arranged a short book tour, and more people attended than I expected." 

"I'd be honored if you would." Remus smiled, pleased that Severus would make the offer. "And if people attended your signing, it must be a good book. That's great! Are you planning a sequel?"

"My agent would like me to write one," Severus replied, sounding contemplative. "I've been working on a draft, but I haven't signed a contract that commits me to a concrete deadline. The story is unfolding slowly, and I don't like to rush anything, not even a hobby. I have a job; writing is something I do for pleasure in my off-time, but my work will always come first, and I cannot see myself becoming a full-time writer." 

Remus considered that. "It's fortunate that your hobby has turned into something rewarding, though," he said. "But I understand what you mean - drumming would never take the place of my work, either. So... did you base the characters on your co-workers? Or did you come up with completely original ones?"

Severus actually seemed abashed at that, and he fidgeted slightly. "I wrote what I knew," he admitted. "I didn't base every character in the book on someone I knew; I created mostly original characters, but some of my colleagues have said I ought to give them a cut of my royalties." 

"They should be flattered," Remus protested. "You did them quite an honor, really." The road ahead of them crested over a rise, showing the bulk of RFK stadium to their left, and Remus sighed, disappointed that their conversation was coming to an end and work was intruding once more. "Next exit is ours. I don't know if you've worked with the police before, but just be careful not to disturb anything if they aren't done with their documentation - they get a bit cranky about that."

"All right," Severus replied, and then he glanced at Remus, one eyebrow raised. "Do _they_ know to be careful and not remove evidence that might be useful to a forensic specialist?" he asked, a hint of hauteur in his voice. 

"I hope so," Remus said, then grinned at Severus. "If not, you can yell at them and I'll back you up. Heaven knows I've taken enough flak from the local cops for 'getting in the middle of their investigations', so I wouldn't mind them getting a bit of that themselves."

"I don't see any point in yelling unless there's some aural interference that necessitates additional volume, but I will inform them if they attempt to remove something we may need from the scene," Severus said firmly. 

That earned another chuckle, and Remus wondered how Minerva could possibly believe anyone couldn't work with Severus. Personally Remus was very glad that Minerva had sent him to Severus - he couldn't remember anyone he'd enjoyed working with quite this much in a very, very long time. "You're the doc, Bones," he said. "I'll just make sure not to get my big feet in your way."

* * *

Severus hung back, remaining out of the way while Agent Lupin talked to the police on the scene; as curious as he was to see the remains, he wasn't so curious that he was willing to risk his chance to examine them by rushing in prematurely. Besides, waiting for an invitation gave him the opportunity to watch Lupin at work, which was a far more appealing sight than he imagined it would be. Lupin strode around the site with confidence untinged by arrogance, the slight swagger in his gait broadcasting his alpha male attitude. Lupin was good at what he did, and he knew it, but he didn't seem to feel a need to prove it to anyone else - a refreshing change of pace from males who overcompensated in order to cover their own insecurities, in Severus' opinion. 

Severus liked Lupin's hands in particular. He knew how strong they were from Lupin's handshake, and he had no illusions that they were capable of doling out pain - and likely had, given Lupin's career - but he wondered how gentle they could be. He imagined Lupin's big hands caressing his skin, and then his mind turned to thoughts of Lupin's hands curling around his wrists and pinning him down, and he shivered, the thought sparking a flare of arousal. It was too bad Lupin was straight; it had been well over six months since Severus' last affair, and he wouldn't be at all averse to having a fling with Lupin, especially if Lupin was as deliciously dominant and forceful in bed as Severus imagined him to be. 

He forced himself to stop thinking about Lupin handcuffing him and "interrogating" him and focused on the task at hand, deciding to take some notes about the site while he waited for his chance to examine the remains. Taking out his phone, he began typing rapidly, looking up once in a while to sweep a shrewd gaze around the site for any details he might have missed. 

Lupin finally finished up with the police, but another man stood by, waiting with obvious impatience. From the cut of his suit and the expensive shoes he was wearing it was obvious that this was a businessman, although his presence at a murder scene among construction workers and police in a very run down area was rather incongruous. What he wanted, however, didn't remain a mystery for long, as he raised his voice, shouting at Lupin in frustration.

"I'm losing money, and you're putting my project behind every minute those machines sit idle!" he seethed, stabbing a finger in the direction of a backhoe which stood nearby. "I don't imagine the FBI is going to reimburse me for that, right? Why can't you just take the body and get out of here?"

Lupin's voice was much lower, his tone pleasant. "It's the law, Mr. Malfoy, as I'm certain you are very well aware," he said reasonably. "You were informed of this when the first body was discovered. I'm very sorry for the delay, but the presence of this body has elevated the importance of the case, and we must be absolutely certain that all evidence is properly gathered so that we can find the killer."

"Killer! You can't even be certain it was a murder!" Malfoy shouted, his pale skin flushing bright red. "It's probably just some bum who wandered down to the river to die. Or a drug addict who overdosed and then had the appalling ill manners to die on _my_ property! These are the very kinds of people this project will drive away from Anacostia, so I insist that you pick those damned bones up and once and leave so that my men can get back to work!"

"I'm sorry, but that isn't happening." Lupin's voice was still soft, but the pleasant tone had been replaced by one of steel. "I suggest that since you are obviously upset, Mr. Malfoy, that you vacate the area while we finish our investigation." He looked pointedly down at Malfoy's clenched fists. "I would prefer to avoid any... unfortunate confrontation which might cause this to take any longer than absolutely necessary, wouldn't you?"

For a moment it looked like Malfoy actually considered throwing a punch, and Severus saw Lupin shift subtly, obviously reading the same intent. He didn't move much, and his expression was still relaxed, but his stance made it obvious that if Malfoy decided to lash out, Lupin was more than ready to counter. Given Lupin's training, Malfoy didn't stand a chance.

Malfoy must have finally found some common sense, for after a few tense moments he unclenched his fists, his expression growing cold and implacable. "You _will_ be hearing from my attorney, Agent Lupin, you may be assured of that." With that he stuck his aristocratic nose in the air the turned away, walking off in what was obviously self-righteous indignation. Lupin watched him go, then sighed and turned, looking around until his eyes fell on Severus.

With a wry smile, he raised a hand and beckoned Severus over. "It's safe for you to get started now," he said, his voice once again pleasant, losing the hardness it had gained when he spoke to Malfoy. "Sorry about that - some people seem to believe that money puts them above the law."

Severus fished the latex gloves Lupin had given him out of his pocket and pulled them on as he approached. "So I've heard," he said. Regulus' family were heavily involved in politics, and Regulus had told him things about their machinations over the years that he could scarcely believe. "I'm lucky in that McGonagall is the one who deals with patrons and administrators, which is fortunate because she is far better suited for the task than I am. I suppose you have to handle that sort of attitude all the time, though."

Lupin nodded, giving a grimace of dislike. "More than I care to, certainly. It's amazing to me that anyone can have so little care about finding a killer - all that seems to matter to types like Malfoy is that _they_ aren't inconvenienced by it. Fortunately I've found that most people are decent and honest. I really don't know if I could continue to do this job if they weren't." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Do you want me to get a camera? I know that the crime lab has already taken numerous pictures, but I can help out if there is anything special you want to have."

"I have a camera on my phone," Severus replied. "That should suffice for now, since I can email them directly to my team, but if you could procure copies of the lab's photographs and send them to us later, that would be helpful."

"Certainly," Lupin said, his smile returning. "Mind if I watch you work? I'm very interested to see what you do that might be different from what our normal procedures are."

"Not at all," Severus said. "Just don't get in my way. I dislike having to move around bystanders while I'm working." 

With that, he approached the shallow grave and knelt beside it, peering closely at the bones without touching anything yet. "The victim is male. We may be able to identify him through dental records. See here?" He pointed to the jaw and glanced over his shoulder. "There's evidence that he has had oral surgery. The marks on the bones appear similar to the other remains. Same size and depth, although in different places." He frowned slightly and pulled out his phone to start taking photographs. "There appears to be some damage to the forearm. It could be a defensive wound." 

Lupin was watching him intently, and he nodded. "That would make sense. Most people who are inexperienced tend to just throw up an arm to ward off whoever is attacking them." He pointed at the placement of the bones. "So, what do you think? One thing all the others agreed on was that things didn't seem to be scattered the way they would be in an animal attack."

"No, they aren't," Severus agreed. "This may have been an animal attack, but it was a controlled one. His shoulders aren't even dislocated, much less showing any sign of detachment. The entire skeleton appears to be intact. If he had been the victim of a wild animal, there would likely be extremities missing, if not from the attacking animal, then from scavengers. But see? All fingers and toes are accounted for," he said, pointing at the small bones. 

"Same way as the last one," Lupin replied. "Okay, we have two people with similar marking on the bones, who died in different locations. I'd say even without having the cause of death, we have a pretty good case for murder now. Not only that, but finding two bodies gives me reason to worry that there could be a third, or even more. I'm going to call in a search team to go over this area with a fine tooth comb."

"I don't think that is an unfounded suspicion." Severus took a few more photos and slipped his phone back into his pocket before straightening again. "Even if it was an accidental death from some sort of animal fight, it seems clear a human element was involved." 

"I agree." Lupin pulled out his own phone, and made a call to what was presumably his office. He asked for authorization to perform a search, and within a few minutes had everything all arranged. "That does it," he said, replacing his phone in his jacket. "We won't be able to take these with us, unfortunately, but they'll be delivered to me at the Bureau as soon as the team is finished here." He smiled at Severus. "So, I still have to head back to the office to check in our friend in the back seat, but after that I can still give you a ride home, if you'd like. I'll swap out this car for my own."

Severus still thought it was odd that Lupin seemed so ready to offer him transportation, but he nodded acceptance nonetheless. If Lupin had proved to be tedious company, he would have said no, but so far, he found Lupin a tolerable companion for a while longer, and it would mean avoiding a train ride. 

"Very well," he said. "I would appreciate it."

"Excellent!" Lupin smiled broadly at him. "So, are you done here? If so, we can be on our way."

"I'm finished," Severus affirmed. "I'd rather wait and perform a more detailed examination under less primitive conditions."

Lupin nodded, and they headed toward the car. "I look forward to watching you do your thing," he said, and the look he gave Severus seemed to be a bit more than strictly professional. "You're quite fascinating to see in action."

Severus looked at him, one eyebrow raised. "I don't see what is so fascinating about watching me look at bones, but to each his own, I suppose." 

"I'm a man of unusual tastes," Lupin replied, unlocking the car and slipping into the driver's seat. He waited until Severus was buckled up, then gave him a sidelong glance as he started the car. "I can't stand to be bored, you see, and you, Dr. Severus Snape, are the least boring person I've met in a very, very long time."


	2. Chapter 2

Remus drove to the museum the following morning, and managed to smile and get a woman in the visitor's center to produce a cart, upon which he loaded the two boxes of remains, along with a little something to do what his grandfather called "greasing the skids" with Severus' staff. Not that he thought any of them would be less cooperative than Severus had been, but Remus found that when asking people to do extra work it was often very useful to bring something to show that their efforts were appreciated. He didn't think that forensic anthropologists were any different than FBI agents or evidence room technicians in that respect, and so he'd picked up a bag of assorted bagels - still warm! - from a shop just outside the Hoover building, along with cream cheese and a large dispenser of high quality coffee. These were riding on top of the evidence, and as he wheeled the cart toward Dr. Snape's office the scent of baked goods and coffee came with him.

He stopped outside the door, knocking and waiting for Severus to answer.

Severus' voice was muffled as he called out from within, "Come in!"

Remus opened the door and stuck his head in, smiling widely. "Mornin', Dr. Snape. I have exactly what you've been waiting for."

Glancing up from his computer screen, Severus peered at Remus over the top of a pair of glasses. The steaming mug of coffee within easy reach and the hint of a scowl were definite clues that Severus wasn't innately a morning person. "The bones," he said, and it wasn't a question. "Thank you for bringing them."

"Not a problem," Remus said easily. "I also brought some bagels and such for you and your team. I see you've already started in on coffee, but I brought some from Panera, if you prefer. I got hazelnut and mocha, as well as regular. Where should I take the bones?"

"Mocha?" The haze of grumpiness seemed to dissipate slightly as Severus regarded him with interest. "Thank you. The coffee here isn't very good. Bill thinks he makes better coffee than he really does." He pushed back his chair and took off his glasses as he stood up and skirted around his desk. "Come with me. I'll show you to the examination area," he said, looking at the container of coffee. "What, no cups?"

"Cups in the bag, along with sugar and half-and-half," Remus said. He tilted his head to the side as he regarded Severus. "Mocha is my favorite, too."

Severus burrowed into the bag and drew out a cup with a triumphant expression, and he poured himself a cup of mocha coffee before saying anything else. "Do you want a cup before we go? You had better get what you want now before the rest of my team sees you have coffee and bagels."

"Sure," Remus replied, retrieving a cup as well and filling it. "Do you mind carrying it for me, though? I need both hands to guide the cart without ramming it into a wall."

"Not at all." Severus took Remus' cup and held it securely, and then he took the lead, guiding Remus along the hall. "Everyone is here on time, even Regulus, so you'll meet the whole team at one time. I think they're all intrigued by the case."

"That would be good," Remus said, pulling the heavy cart along behind him easily. "It's much better when you're asking for help if it's something that would actually interest people, instead of something tedious." Remus looked at the back of Severus' lab coat, wishing that it didn't obscure the view of Severus' rear as he walked. Remus had noted the day before that Severus had a very nice body, and he'd had an erotic dream the night before, imagining Severus' long legs wrapped around his hips. He sternly told himself to stop having such unprofessional thoughts, but it was hard; something about Severus had woken up his long-ignored libido, making it very difficult to stop wishing that he could find a way to see if Severus would be interested in moving beyond a professional relationship.

"We all enjoy a challenge," Severus replied, glancing over his shoulder. "This is something different for all of us. I understand and share their interest."

"I'm definitely interested to see how you all work together," Remus replied. "Do scientists butt heads as much as other people, or do the hard facts you discover tend to make it a bit easier?"

"We're all human and prone to conflict, although I believe we have worked together long enough to have grown accustomed to one another." Severus shook his head and made a tutting noise. "I have had to make considerable allowances for their particular quirks, but fortunately, I've had practice in dealing with other people's idiosyncrasies."

"I would imagine so," Remus replied, keeping himself from smiling because he didn't want to insult Severus. He rather thought that Severus' team probably thought their leader had some quirks of his own, if Minerva's comments were anything to go by. "I'm usually able to get along with most people, but then I don't currently have a partner, and my work hasn't had me working very closely with anyone for an extended period, but I have no doubt I'd probably start to get on someone's nerves after a while myself."

"You do have the personality markers of a 'people person'," Severus remarked. "I'm often told my social skills are lacking, so you should count yourself lucky, assuming the good will of other people matters to you. It seems to matter to most people."

"But not to you, I take it?" Remus asked. "I do find that getting along with others tends to make my job easier, but I'm in a very different line of work than you are."

"No, it doesn't matter to me," Severus confirmed. He rounded a corner and led Remus into a large area divided into smaller rooms by mostly clear walls, and Remus could see different kinds of equipment and technology in each section, all of it state of the art and most of which he had no idea what it was or how it was used. "Here we are," Severus added, just in time for Remus to see three people approaching: two men and one young woman. All of them were regarding him with curiosity and interest.

"Is this the tool of the corrupt system you told us about?" the dark-haired man asked, although there was no hostility in his voice or stance.

Severus rolled his eyes. "Yes, this is the tool. Regulus, Bill, Hermione, this is Agent Remus Lupin. Agent Lupin, this is Regulus Black, Bill Weasley, and Hermione Granger," he said, pointing to each one in turn. "They're my team."

Remus smiled, although he raised a brow at being called a "tool". "Pleased to meet you," he said, holding out his hand to Regulus first, both because of the possible insult and the fact that Severus had spoken of Regulus several times the previous day. "I'm grateful to all of you for help on this case, and I assure you, I've not killed anyone or violated anyone's civil rights in at least a week."

Regulus clasped his hand and shook it firmly, offering him an easy smile. "I'm glad to hear it, Agent Lupin. I'd hate to think I was colluding with the oppressors."

"Ignore him," Bill interjected. "Regulus is a conspiracy theory nut. Emphasis on the 'nut' part," he added with a wink, and Regulus blew a raspberry at him. "Hi, I'm Bill." The younger man held out his hand, his demeanor relaxed and friendly.

Remus filed away the information as he released Regulus' hand and took Bill's. "It's nice to meet you, Bill," he replied warmly. Bill was obviously one of those people whom it was very easy to like. Releasing the redhead's hand, he turned to the young woman. "And you must be Hermione Granger. I do hope you - and everyone else - really will find this case interesting."

Hermione smiled warmly and offered her hand as well. "I already do!" she exclaimed excitedly. "Unidentified bite marks, a potential series of unsolved murders - it's more interesting than anything we've had to work on in ages!"

"Well if you can help me catch a murderer, you'll all be heroes, too," Remus said. He pointed behind him at the cart. "I have the bones, and also some coffee and bagels." He glanced at Regulus with an innocent expression. "I bought them at Panera, they aren't from the Bureau cafeteria, so I promise they aren't wire-tapped, booby trapped, or otherwise rigged in any way to do anything a bagel shouldn't."

"In that case, I'll refrain from running my own diagnostics first," Regulus replied, stepping up to pour a cup of hazelnut coffee and snag a bagel with alacrity.

Severus offered Remus his cup back. "I don't think identifying a cause of death qualifies as heroic," he pointed out. "Useful and responsible, perhaps, but I think calling us heroes is overstating the case."

Remus accepted the coffee with a murmur of thanks and took a sip, watching as Bill hunted through the bag of bagels and emerged with an Asiago, then poured himself a cup of the mocha. Severus' team obviously got on well together, which was a good thing, and he was rather surprised by the wide variety of personalities they displayed. Severus was obviously logical and clinical, and was also no doubt a natural skeptic, while Regulus seemed intelligent but obviously had a suspicious nature - Remus wondered if he trusted anyone he'd not known for many years. Bill was artistic, with a warm, nurturing nature, while Hermione seemed enthusiastic and eager. He found he liked them, even Regulus.

"Oh, I don't know," he replied, looking at Severus over the rim of his cup. "Heroes come in many forms, not all of them flashy. If you do things that make the world a better place, I feel that's very heroic. Helping me get someone captured who is killing innocent people? That definitely qualifies."

"Technically, we don't know that they were innocent, because we don't know who they are," Severus replied. "However, I agree that they didn't deserve to be murdered, no matter what their lifestyle choices might have been. Still-"

"Do we get a medal?" Regulus interrupted, clearly attempting to derail Severus before he began a debate about the nature of heroism. "Heroes usually get medals, right?"

"The Bureau has been known to give out tokens of appreciation," Remus replied easily, giving Regulus an amused glance. "But that's down the road, we still have to find out how these men were kill, and find who did it."

"Which we will do, assuming everyone has their coffee and bagel and is ready to get to work," Severus said. "Shall we?"

"Yes, sir!" Hermione nodded eagerly and hurried away, downing her breakfast as she went.

"Ready when you are" Regulus raised his cup, and then he looked at Remus questioningly. "Do you want a digital reconstruction or will a sketch do?"

"A reconstruction would be great," Remus said, and glanced at Bill. "Plus I'm interested in seeing what you do."

"All right," Bill replied, beaming at him. He proceeded to polish off his bagel, then rubbed his hands together. "Let's see what we have, then."

In short order the boxes were unpacked, and the two skeletons were arranged on side-by-side tables. Remus watched as the team went about their tasks with efficiency, each obviously knowing exactly what to do. Bill took a few pictures and then went to upload them to a computer, then sat down in front of a large screen and set about doing his reconstruction.

Now that Remus could see both skeletons together, he was struck by how similar they seemed. "So what do you think, Bones?" he asked Severus.

Severus glanced sidelong at him, but said nothing about the new nickname. "I think it's obvious that the victims died from the same cause. We just need to find out what that cause is." He leaned over and called out to Bill. "Don't forget: we need molds of the marks."

Bill nodded and waved absently, and Severus turned back to Remus, apparently satisfied.

"Regulus will analyze any foreign material attached to the remains, especially the most recent one," Severus continued. "It might tell us more about the murders. We might even be able to identify where the victims were killed, if we get lucky."

"That would definitely be useful," Remus said, stepping back and watching as samples were taken and other things that might as well have been voodoo rituals as far as he was concerned were performed. He would have loved to stay and watch all day - or, at least, stay and watch Severus - but he knew he should get back to work. There was nothing he could really do to assist them, and he needed to see what else he could discover. "Well, I suppose I should leave you to your work. You have my numbers, so don't hesitate to call me if you need anything, all right? Or if you have results, but I imagine that could take some time."

"It will, yes," Severus affirmed as he reached for a pair of gloves and a surgical mask, "although I will have a preliminary report on the remains themselves later today. I can email it to you when it's ready."

"All right." Remus smiled. "I look forward to hearing from you. Have fun!" With that he turned to go, reluctant to leave but not seeing any good excuse to stay. He'd just have to make certain he found reasons to see Severus again. And soon.

* * *

Severus wasn't certain that analysis reports of two dead bodies was appropriate for dinner conversation, but Agent Lupin had insisted on meeting Severus at the diner near the museum rather than at either the museum or the Bureau, and Severus hadn't come up with a good reason to refuse since he wasn't squeamish, and he did need to eat dinner. He arrived at the diner punctually but didn't see Lupin, and so he went to his usual booth and slid in, removing a folder from his messenger bag and sorting through it to make sure he'd brought everything he needed to show Lupin while he waited for Lupin to arrive.

He didn't have to wait very long. Lupin entered the diner and glanced around, smiling as he spotted Severus and sauntering toward him. For once Lupin wasn't in a suit, but dressed in dark jeans and a black t-shirt that showed off his tanned, muscular arms. 

"Thanks for meeting me here," he said, sliding into the seat opposite Severus. "I'm starving!"

Severus plucked a menu from the stand at the end of the table, where it was nestled among a cluster of condiments, and slid it over to Lupin. "I recommend the reuben sandwich, but really, I haven't had anything I dislike here."

"A reuben sounds great - especially with chips and a pickle," Lupin replied, giving the menu a cursory glance. He looked around and caught the waitress' eye, and she came over to take their orders. It was easy to see the light of interest in her eyes as she looked at Lupin, but although his smile was friendly, he didn't return the perusal. 

Lupin gave his order, adding iced tea to drink, then waited as Severus gave his order. Deciding to keep things simple, Severus ordered the same thing, and once the waitress moved away, appearing slightly disappointed that Lupin had ignored her, he pushed the folder across the table. 

"Here is the information we've gathered so far," he said. "I've included a print-out of the facial reconstruction on the first victim. Bill has a full 3-D rendering available, if you want to see it, and he is still working on the second victim. Regulus is analyzing some particles we found on the bones. From my examination, I was able to determine that the skeletons were not as intact as I initially thought. I have reason to believe they were put back together before they were buried, and with the evidence of teeth marks, I believe portions of the bodies were consumed."

Lupin raised a brow at that, but didn't look shocked. "I'd wondered if that might be the case, given the marks," he said, shaking his head as he gazed at the picture of the first victim. He was an older man, and somehow he looked rather tired and care-worn. "I'll run this through the Bureau databases to see if there are any matches with known criminals or missing persons, but I have a feeling that if he was a local to that area he might have been homeless. If I don't get any hits I'll canvas the shelters in Anacostia to see if someone there might recognize him, but my instincts are telling me he's not going to be easy to trace."

"At least you will be able to find a name for the second victim, thanks to dental records," Severus replied. "That will help, I assume. At any rate, I am still attempting to determine the type of animal that created the marks." He grimaced, frustrated with his own lack of progress on that front. "I still don't know for certain. The only thing I can say with absolute certainty at this point is that it was not a dog of any size. Not even a large breed could have created marks of that type. I have begun trying to match the bite marks with other species indigenous to the area in a two state radius, but if no matches are forthcoming, I may have to expand the search into more exotic breeds of predator."

"So much for the easy answer, but I'm not surprised, really," Lupin said, giving Severus a wry smile. "I think even an FBI forensic pathologist would have recognized teeth marks of a dog. Or at least I hope so. But unless there are alligators in the Anacostia River, that means we have some real sicko out there attacking people with an animal. And somehow I have the feeling it's not going to be someone with a registered exotic pet."

He leafed through the other papers, eyes scanning the various reports, brow wrinkled in concentration. Then he closed the folder and sighed. "It's definitely more than we had before. Thank you, Dr. Snape - I'll be interested to see what turns up in your other tests."

"So will I," Severus said, more vehemently than he intended, but the case had intrigued him and frustrated him in equal measures, and he was determined to find answers now.

His response earned him a curious glance from Lupin. "Not used to having answers elude you, I take it?" he asked.

"No." Severus frowned, his bottom lip jutting out slightly in an unconscious pout. He didn't like being thwarted, especially not intellectually, and the case had become personal for him now. "I entered this profession in order to find answers. I dislike being unable to solve a problem."

"You've done very well so far, from what I can see," Lupin replied. He paused as the waitress delivered their drinks and sandwiches, then continued. "I have complete faith that you'll figure it out. You have a drive and determination that really sets you apart."

Severus raised one eyebrow at that as he reached for his glass of tea. "That is a more tactful way of putting it than I usually hear." 

"Oh?" Lupin cocked his head to one side, his eyes warm. "I meant it as a compliment, you know. I've met an awful lot of people who just go along to get along, or who do what they do for the money, or the fame. I respect that you're good at your job, of course, but even more I respect you because your job _matters_ to you, and that you won't settle for less that your best. Unfortunately it's a trait that's far too rare."

"True." Severus inclined his head in acknowledgment. He didn't believe in false modesty, and he knew his dedication and diligence set him apart. "I took it as a compliment, but most people call me obsessed rather than determined. Then again, most people become annoyed or impatient with me. Perhaps you simply haven't been around me long enough for that yet."

"Or perhaps I simply don't find you annoying." Lupin smiled and picked up his tea, taking a sip and watching Severus over the rim of his glass before setting it back on the table. "Besides, Dr. Snape, I don't think you've crossed the line into obsession. Trust me, I've seen obsessed, and I don't put you in that category at all. You write, and you hunt, so it's obvious you're not spending all your time down in the basement of the museum talking to yourself - or worse, talking to the bones."

Severus decided not to admit that he did both talk to himself and to the bones he examined. "Not _all_ my time, no," he conceded. "I do leave the museum to pursue other interests, but the primary focus of my life is my work. I enjoy it above all else."

Lupin picked up his sandwich and took a bite as he listened, then nodded. He wiped his lips with his napkin. "There's nothing wrong with that - I enjoy my work, too, and other than my son and an occasional ball game, it's what I like most." A shadow passed over his face for a moment. "Trust me, it's much better to like what you do than not."

"Agreed," Severus replied as he began to eat as well. "I assume you're referring to your previous occupation," he added, unable to imagine that Lupin had enjoyed being a sniper. If he had, that implied serious psychological issues that would have precluded him being accepted him into the FBI. 

"Yeah." Lupin drew in a breath. "Just because you happen to be good at something and it's a necessary thing doesn't mean it's always enjoyable. In fact, if I enjoyed killing that would make me one of the people the FBI is in the business of catching and putting away. Instead... well, I have to live with the memory of the people I've killed for the rest of my life. In my opinion someone has to be pathological to actually want that."

Severus felt sympathy at that; his ability to understand and read people was limited, but even he could tell Lupin wasn't the type to enjoy causing harm. "No doubt," he said. "Have you considered a line of work that doesn't involve potentially killing people?"

Lupin shrugged slightly. "I like being one of the good guys, and getting bad people off the streets - that's why I went into the army, and why I became an FBI agent. At least as an agent I don't necessarily have to kill people - only if they are an immediate threat to myself or others, and they always have the option to just behave and not put themselves in danger."

"Precisely." Severus finished off the first half of his sandwich, pleased that Lupin seemed to be so sensible. "I have never had the drive to be one of the good guys, as you put it, only to provide answers about why someone died. I like closure." 

"I think you're one of the good guys," Lupin replied. He smiled again, the shadows gone from his eyes. "And closure is my business. We have a lot in common, I think - or at least very complementary skills and abilities."

"Perhaps." Severus ate a few chips as he regarded Lupin speculatively, wondering why Lupin thought their similarities mattered. "It seems of little consequence, however, since it is unlikely our paths will cross again once this case is closed, one way or another."

Lupin went very still, and the look he gave Severus was unexpectedly intense. "I suppose," he said slowly. "Unless, perhaps, you'd care to get together outside of work?"

Severus considered the offer, debating how to respond. He didn't have close friends; he had acquaintances, and he preferred to keep it that way. Attachments were dangerous, and he wasn't good with people anyway. "I appreciate the offer, but I prefer not to. It has nothing to do with you," he added, remembering how other people had reacted to his response. "I simply don't cultivate friendships."

For a moment Lupin seemed about to say something, then he drew in a breath and lifted his chin. "I wasn't exactly talking about friendship," he said quietly. "Perhaps I was wrong, but I rather got the impression that, like me, you were gay. I'm sorry if I made a bad assumption."

"No, you are correct," Severus affirmed, regarding Lupin with growing surprise. Not much caught him off-guard, but that revelation certainly had. "I _am_ gay. I didn't realize you are, however. You mentioned being married and having a son. I assumed you were straight."

"Most people do," Lupin admitted, a faint flush of color on his cheeks. "It's... complicated. But what I was trying to do was ask you to go out with me, if you were interested. Although I suppose if you don't cultivate friendships you probably don't date, either."

There was no logical reason why Lupin's expression of interest in him should please Severus so much, but it did, perhaps because Severus had found him attractive from the beginning and now there was a chance that Severus' handcuffing fantasy might come to life. "If you are expressing an interest in having sex with me, then I assure you, the interest is mutual." 

For once Lupin actually looked taken aback, and the color in his cheeks deepened a bit. "I... I won't say I'm not interested in that," he replied. "Although that's not all I'm interested in where you're concerned. I happen to like you, too, you know."

Severus stared at him blankly for a moment, trying and failing to connect the two ideas. "I suppose liking someone you have sex with is beneficial," he said at last. "However, I don't see what liking me has to do with having sex with me." 

"You don't?" Lupin looked positively dumbfounded. "I... does that mean you'd have sex with me, even if you didn't like me?"

"Of course not." Severus rolled his eyes and gave Lupin an aggrieved look. "I would not have sex with someone I disliked." 

"Well that's a relief," Lupin murmured. Then he frowned. "So why would you think that my liking you would have nothing to do with me wanting to have sex with you?"

For such a seemingly intelligent man, Lupin was being remarkably dim, but Severus decided to make an attempt to explain. "All that is required for a healthy sexual encounter is mutual attraction, which is nothing more than a physiological reaction to another person. The details can be worked out by the individuals involved, however many there are, and the inclusion of kinks can be negotiated, but all it boils down to is basic physical chemistry. Emotions have nothing to do with it."

"I see." Lupin was quiet for a time, then he gave a smile that seemed a bit stiff. "I respect your perspective and your honesty, but... well, it's different for me, I'm afraid. I'm not one to indulge in, um, healthy sexual encounters without the inclusion of some degree of emotion." He pulled out his wallet and withdrew several bills, putting them on the table, then picked up the folder. "I'm sorry, Dr. Snape, I suppose it's better to keep our relationship professional after all. Thank you for the report, and you can contact me when you have any additional information."

Severus stared across the table at Lupin, dismayed and disappointed by the sudden dismissal that even he was able to discern. It wasn't the first time he had encountered a perspective like Lupin's; Bill was a vocal advocate of romantic love and attempted to convince Severus that it did exist on a regular basis, but Severus was always honest about his own opinion on the subject to avoid causing a potential sexual partner any disappointment in case they expected more. So far, his methods had worked fine, but this time, he regretted that he and Lupin had polar opposite views. He knew the futility of debating the issue, and so he nodded instead. 

"Of course," he said neutrally.

Lupin rose to his feet. "Right. Have a good evening, Dr. Snape," he said, then turned and headed for the door, not looking at anyone or giving the normal, friendly smiles he seemed to bestow on all and sundry.

Severus pushed his plate away, his appetite gone, and he closed his bag and slid out of the booth, more than ready to leave. He didn't understand why he felt as if he had done something wrong when he had been honest and he hadn't initiated the conversation to begin with, but he couldn't shake the feeling. He was disappointed as well - disappointed that Lupin insisted on believing in emotional attachments, that Lupin had dismissed him. He was even disappointed that there was little likelihood of being included in the case as much as he had been so far. No doubt Lupin would decide keeping their relationship professional also meant restricting Severus to email and phone calls and faxes, not inviting him to visit crime scenes. 

His mood pensive, Severus exited the diner and turned his steps back toward the museum rather than to the train station; he didn't want to return home, where there was little to distract him from the strange reactions Lupin's behavior had evoked. Instead, he would use his time wisely and continue his examination of the remains. People were strange and unreliable, but his work offered a constant, familiar haven where he would always be safe, and that was the way he liked it.

* * *

"Damn."

Remus stared down at the pile of bones in the shallow grave, his jaw hard and his expression grim. There were at least two bodies there, and while the bones weren't as carefully arranged as the previous two, he had learned enough to recognize the tell-tale marks on the surfaces, indicating that the same perpetrator was no doubt responsible. Four bodies made it officially a case of a serial killer, which elevated both the urgency of the case and the attention that it would garner, which made things more complicated than ever.

Not to mention that he was going to have to call Severus, which added a personal level of pain to his anger over the fact that there was obviously a madman on the loose.

Stepping back from the edge of the grave, Remus signaled for the photographer to continue his work documenting the gruesome discovery, while he walked toward his car, pulling his cell phone from a pocket and staring at it morosely. He knew what he had to do, and while he wasn't looking forward to it, he told himself that he could handle it.

The way Severus had responded to Remus' offer of friendship had been hard enough to take, but the entire conversation when Remus had made it clear he was asking for a date had been positively surreal. He knew Severus was quirky - he even _liked_ that about him - but Severus' bald, clinical comments about sex had been both unexpected and decidedly off-putting from Remus' point of view. It wasn't that Remus didn't _want_ to have sex with Severus; he certainly was attracted to him, and had hoped that dating, getting to know one another, might have led to that eventual outcome. But the way Severus had said he didn't want to be friends but was willing to have sex was so completely opposite of Remus' own view of relationships that he would have thought Severus was deliberately twitting him, if Severus hadn't been so earnest and serious about the whole thing.

Despite his divorce and his lack of relationships in the last several years, Remus was basically a romantic man at heart. He'd not found true love but it didn't mean he had stopped looking for it, even if he'd not met anyone in a long time who'd even stirred his interest. Severus had been the first in nearly a decade, and Remus had been taking quite a personal and even professional risk to ask Severus out on a date. It couldn't have been a more spectacular failure, and Remus' ego was still smarting nearly a week later.

But he was a professional, and he had a job to do, so that meant using every resource to get it done. He told himself sternly that he could handle seeing Severus again; all he had to do was pretend that he had never been attracted to Severus in the first place and that the incident in the diner had never happened. He and Severus simply weren't interested in the same things, and that was all there was to it. Nothing to angst over like a hormonal teenager.

He stared at his phone for a moment longer, then tightened his jaw, pulling up the directory and putting in a call to Severus before he could change his mind. After two rings, Severus answered with a crisp, "This is Dr. Snape." 

Remus drew in a deep breath, the sound of Severus' voice affecting him more than he cared to admit. Why did the man have to have such a deep, sexy tone even when being totally professional?

"Yes. This is Re.. Agent Lupin," Remus replied. "Two more bodies have been discovered in Anacostia. Did you want to examine them in situ or shall I simply forward you images?" He felt awkward and knew he sounded stilted, but there was simply no help for it.

There was a pause on the other end of the line, one that was long enough to make Remus wonder if the call had been dropped before Severus replied, his voice low and unusually subdued. "First-hand observation is always more useful than images."

"I see." Remus wasn't certain if he'd been more hopeful that Severus would want to come out or that he wouldn't, and he wondered if Severus was feeling as awkward as he was. "I'm already at the scene, but I can have a driver from the Bureau pick you up, if you'd like."

"Very well," Severus said in a more neutral voice. "Thank you."

"No problem," Remus replied, his own tone cool. He must have imagined it, thinking Severus would feel odd about what had happened. No doubt there were plenty of people who would have found Severus' attitudes toward sex quite appealing, and for a moment Remus almost regretted not being one of them. Severus probably thought he was an emotional idiot, and maybe he was. This was obviously just a job for Severus, an interesting challenge; no doubt he didn't especially want to see Remus again. "The driver will call you when he reaches your building, and I will meet you here."

"Very well," Severus said again. "I will be there shortly." 

And with that, Remus found himself listening to a dial tone. He frowned at his phone and then called the Bureau, quickly making arrangements for a driver to pick up Severus, then to stay and take him back. It was definitely too much to wish for that something would magically change and they could go back to the easy relationship they'd enjoyed before, when Remus would have easily offered to take Severus home if he wished.

After that he busied himself with making notes about the discovery and interviewing the construction workers again, then speaking very briefly with the media, who had finally gotten wind of the story and were nosing about. He put them off with the typical Bureau line about not jeopardizing an investigation and refusing to speculate, and had uniformed officers keep the camera at a distance so that there would be no contamination of the scene.

When Severus arrived at last, he approached the scene rapidly, his long legs eating up the distance, and Remus could see that his features were schooled into a neutral expression, although closer inspection revealed a wariness in his dark eyes. 

"Agent Lupin." Severus nodded tersely. "Where are the remains?"

As he'd noted Severus approaching Remus had done something he rarely did - he pulled out his sunglasses and donned them, feeling the uncharacteristic need to have something to hide behind to obscure the sudden surge of pain and regret he felt. He wondered if Severus' wariness was because he was afraid Remus would be insulting or maybe too emotional, but the dark lenses made it so that no matter what he felt, Severus wouldn't have to worry about it.

"This way," Remus replied quietly, and led Severus toward the grave. His stomach was churning, and he found that a thousand questions were suddenly screaming to be asked. Like 'why wouldn't you want to be friends with me?' and 'what could I do to get through to you?' Questions that Remus definitely couldn't ask, and ones whose answers might be even more dismaying, so he bit down on them firmly and schooled himself to the same disassociation he'd learned to use in the Rangers. He had a mission to do, and while it wouldn't be pleasant, he could do it, and deal with the aftermath when he was safe and alone later.

The photographer was still taking pictures from various angles, but he stepped back at their approach. "All done, Agent Lupin," he said, and patted his camera fondly. "I'll have these emailed to you as soon as I get back."

"Thanks, Ed," Remus replied, his tone so empty that it earned him a startled glance from the photographer, with whom he was actually on very good terms. Ed nodded, then frowned and walked away.

Remus crossed his arms over his chest and stood back, not bothering to say anything since Severus could obviously see things for himself. Perhaps Severus was disinclined to speak with Remus or perhaps he was taking cues from Remus, but whatever the reason, he didn't say anything either as he conducted his examination of the remains. Unlike before, when he had pointed out his observations and explained whatever Remus needed to know, he typed in notes on his phone without a word, and he worked in silence for several minutes. When he straightened at last, he turned to Remus and regarded him with the same distant neutrality with which he might have regarded a total stranger. 

"I would like copies of those photographs, if it is convenient," he said politely.

A stab of pain cut Remus, but he ignored it. It was better this way, really it was. Severus didn't want a relationship and Remus did, so there was no sense setting himself up for continued rejection. "Of course," he replied, just as polite. "Shall I have the bones sent to your lab?"

"Yes, thank you." Severus lifted his chin. "Is there anything else?"

"No, thank you," Remus said. "Since this is now officially a serial killer, I'm going to have to step up the efforts close the case, so any information you can give me would help bring this to a close." Not just the case, but this entire awkward situation.

For a moment, it seemed as if Severus was going to say or ask something, but instead, he nodded. "We will do our best. If there is nothing else, I will return to the museum and get back to work. The sooner we finish our analyses, the sooner the case may be closed."

"Exactly." Remus nodded. "Thank you, I look forward to receiving your results."

With another terse nod, Severus turned and walked away, heading to the waiting car without looking back. Remus stared after him, wondering if things had just gone from bad to worse, feeling helpless and frustrated. Then he turned away as well, heading toward his car, needing to get away from this place of death and pain. It had been hard seeing Severus again, harder than he'd imagined, because one thing hadn't changed - he was still attracted to Severus. He wished things could be different, even though he knew the futility of it. If life had taught him one thing, it was that trying to force feelings where they didn't exist simply wouldn't work, and would only end in pain for everyone involved.

Maybe when he got home he'd call Dora, and apologize again for the failure of their marriage. Strangely enough, he now had the feeling he knew exactly how she felt, wanting something with someone who could never want the same thing in return.

* * *

Severus buried himself in work, relying on whatever take-out food Regulus, Hermione, or Bill brought him and forgetting to eat otherwise; when he wasn't working on the consultation case, he refocused his attention on his own projects, turning to anything he could find to occupy his time and help him ignore the confusion that threatened him every time he thought about Agent Lupin. He did go home to sleep a few hours, but he always turned insomniac when he was stressed, and working was better than pacing the floor during the wee hours of the morning. At least it was more productive and less wearing on his rugs. 

He put aside the report Regulus had sent about his on-going particle search and analysis on the new remains and reached for his coffee cup, only to find it empty. With an annoyed grunt, he pushed back his chair and exited his office, in search of more coffee. With any luck, there would be some left in the break room.

When he entered, Bill came in right behind him, crossing to stand in front of the coffee pot with a determined expression on his face. "Oh no you don't," he said, seeming willing to risk life and limb to keep Severus from it, his blue eyes showing his concern. "This has gone on long enough, Severus. You're starting to become one of those obsessed workaholics who end up dead of heart-attacks at their desks at the age of forty. I've waited to see if you would get over this funk you're in on your own, but that hasn't happened, so it's time to come clean about what's bothering you so I can help."

Severus stopped short and peered around Bill, looking at the coffee pot mournfully. "I don't want help," he said. "I want coffee." 

Bill considered that. "I'll make you a deal. Half a cup while you tell me what's going on."

"There is nothing to tell." Severus shrugged and shook his head. "I am not in a funk, I am not obsessed, and I am not bothered by anything. Now please move so I can get more coffee."

Unfortunately Bill didn't move, and he certainly didn't look convinced. "Sure, and I'm the tooth fairy," Bill replied. Then his tone softened. "Look, I'm worried about you. You don't see yourself, maybe you don't even realize how bad it's gotten, but it has. Don't make me call McGonagall, boss - she could make you take a leave of absence. Or worse, I could go get Regulus, who will probably decide that the FBI has implanted you with a chip to make you solve the case as quickly as possible and then die so that you can't reveal their cover up."

As little as he wanted to have this conversation, Severus knew Bill well enough to know it was unavoidable; Bill wouldn't back down when it came to things he thought were for Severus' own good, and if Severus ever wanted to see the coffee pot again, he would have to say _something_ that would satisfy Bill. 

"I simply want to be finished with the FBI consultation," he said, which was certainly true. "Lives are at stake. The sooner we provide concrete answers regarding the killer, the sooner the FBI can find and arrest the killer." 

Bill looked unconvinced. "I've never seen you sleepless over anything before, no matter how important. I know how important your work is to you, but this is different, you know know it. You're here at all hours, you have no interest in food, and I doubt you've worked out in weeks. If it were anyone but you I'd think it was romance problems." Bill looked at him searchingly. "Or is that it after all?"

" _No_ ," Severus said, realizing he sounded more vehement than he meant to, especially if he wanted to be convincing. "I don't believe in romance, you know that. Therefore it is impossible for me to have romance problems."

"Wrong - that makes it even more likely you'll have them," Bill said, shaking his head in exasperation. He tilted his head to one side. "Is it that Agent Lupin? I certainly couldn't miss the besotted looks he was giving you the entire time he was here, and you were positively genial to him."

Severus felt a rush of heat in his face, and he glanced away momentarily as he tried to compose a response - and to ignore the little flutter in his stomach at the mention of Lupin looking at him. "There is nothing going on with Agent Lupin," he said, his voice flat.

"And that's the problem, isn't it?" Bill's tone was sympathetic. "Severus, this is obviously eating you up. What happened, did he dump you? I'll go find him and rip him to pieces if he did!"

Severus rolled his eyes and released an aggrieved sigh. Obviously, Bill wasn't going to let this go, and Severus didn't care to have this sort of conversation in the middle of the break room when even he knew the museum staff were notorious gossips. "If you are going to insist on interrogating me, then I insist on it occurring in my office with the door closed." 

"However you'd like." Bill smiled. "This is for your own good, you know. Bottling things like this up aren't good for you. Emotions have to be expressed."

"You sound like my therapist. _Former_ therapist," Severus said pointedly as he led the way back to his office, regretfully foregoing another cup of coffee for the time being. 

Once they were in his office and the door was closed behind them, Severus took a seat behind his desk and regarded Bill steadily across the expanse of his desk. "You know what I think about expressing emotions. It's a colossal waste of time. I refuse to be ruled by primitive, illogical impulses rather than by logic and facts." 

Bill regarded him somberly. "I know that the things you've gone through in your life have made you take refuge in logic and facts because they are safe, known quantities that can't betray you. But for all that, you're still a man, Severus. You have a man's needs and feelings, even if you repress them. Just because you know they are illogical doesn't mean you don't feel them."

"It isn't my feelings that are the issue," Severus replied, folding his arms across his chest and giving Bill a disgruntled glare. "This is Lupin's issue, not mine. I was honest about my stance on friendship, dating, and sex. He is the one who left." 

For a moment Bill was quiet, thinking that over. "What exactly did you say to him?" he asked, then held up a hand and sighed. "No, wait, let me guess. He asked you out, and you said something along the lines that you would have sex with him but you didn't want to date, right?"

"Of course," Severus said, giving a negligent shrug. "What else would I have said?"

"Oh, Severus." Bill looked at him with a mixture of sympathy and exasperation. "Look, _I_ understand why you are as you are, how the things you've been through have shaped you and made you distrust anything you can't measure, label, and catalog. And I know I've told you a thousand times that there are people who aren't going to let you down and leave you, but you've not been willing to accept that. But Lupin... I could tell from the moment he walked in the room where his interest was, and believe me, he was giving every one of us the gimlet eye to see who might be interested in _you_. It was easy enough to see that Lupin's not the casual sex sort, or else he would probably have jumped at the chance to just go to bed with you with no strings attached. I think he's the type my mother would call a 'marrying man' - he's looking for something lasting, and he probably doesn't stick his neck out unless he's very, very interested. If he asked you out, he wasn't looking for just sex. I imagine being told that you'd happily use his body but didn't care what he felt about you as a person probably wounded him deeply."

"How was I supposed to know that?" Severus asked, shaking his head. "Even if I had, I could not have responded in any way other than I did. I could hardly lie about how I feel. I do not want a relationship. Any mature, reasonable adult should be able to accept and respect that. Instead, he _left_ , and then he treated me like a stranger. Worse, perhaps. He behaved as if we had been involved, and I broke up with him. I did not appreciate it." 

"If you don't want a relationship and you don't care, then why are you so eaten up by this?" Bill asked softly. "If it's his issue, as you've said, then why is it bothering _you_?"

Severus went still at that, unable to come up with a response for that. "I don't know," he admitted at last. "It should not be bothering me, because I definitely do not want a relationship, especially not with someone who believes in antiquated, patriarchal ideas of romantic love. It's nonsense." 

"I think you should listen to how much you're protesting that you don't want a relationship with him and think about who you're really trying to convince," Bill replied. He tilted his head to one side. "Tell me, Severus... how would you feel if you thought you'd never see him again? Say... the killer goes after Lupin, and Lupin manages to get himself killed. Would you regret not going on a date with him then?"

The cold, sick feeling that gripped Severus at the thought of Lupin's death wasn't unfamiliar; he had felt it for years after his parents' disappearance. It was, however, surprising to feel in conjunction with Lupin, whom he had known for a matter of days. It was illogical and foolish, and he didn't understand it at all, but he could scarcely deny it. 

"I might," he admitted, unable to look directly at Bill. 

"Then I think that explains why you've been acting the way you've been acting. I suppose the question now is what you're going to do about it." Bill smiled encouragingly. "And any help I can give, I'm more than happy to do."

"I have no intention of doing anything about it." Severus hunched defensively in his chair, his lower lip jutting out slightly. "Just because I feel something does not obligate me to act on it. I have no reason to trust him any longer." 

"Why? Because you made it clear you had no interest in a relationship and so he didn't pursue you?" Bill asked. "I suspect that he's embarrassed and probably feeling like you think he's an idiot."

Releasing a grumbling sigh, Severus slouched lower, disliking to admit how unsettled this whole conversation made him - and how the mere thought of reversing his long-time resolve to avoid relationships terrified him. Taking emotional risks was not something he cared to do, especially not for someone who was a stranger and who had already left once. "What exactly do you expect me to do?" he asked at last, the frown-line between his eyes deepening as he regarded Bill across the desk. "I am perfectly satisfied with my life as it is. I barely know Agent Lupin. I certainly do not know him well enough to overturn my policy regarding relationships." 

"That's what normal people go on dates to find out," Bill replied. "All I can say is you are obviously not satisfied, so it's up to you what to do about it. Preferably before you work yourself into the hospital."

Severus gritted his teeth, wanting to argue, but he couldn't find a reasonable refutation with which to begin. As little as he cared about relationships and romance, he was aware of the social conventions; he knew people dated in order to get to know one another before deciding whether they were compatible enough to commit to a long-term relationship. Bill was right: if he didn't know Lupin well, the 'normal' thing to do would be to date him in order to find out. But the thought terrified Severus, and he was terrified of putting himself out on that limb. He was far safer where he was, but he wasn't certain if he was satisfied anymore either. 

"I will find a way to deal with the situation," he said at last, although he still had no idea what that way would be. "Starting with resuming a normal eating and working out schedule. You needn't worry about me further." 

"You know I'll worry anyway," Bill replied, rising to his feet. "And I'm going to make sure that you keep your word. But I can tell you've probably had enough of the feeling stuff for the moment, so I'm not going to torture you more. But I'm here if you need to talk, you know." He tilted his chin up. "And I swear if he hurts you I'll beat him up, okay? Macho man doesn't scare me. Much."

Severus snorted quietly at that, and he decided against pointing out that Lupin already _had_ hurt his feelings. "I doubt you would land one punch, much less be able to beat him up, but I appreciate the sentiment." 

"Anytime." With that Bill moved to the door, but he stopped and turned around. "Don't forget that eating, sleeping and working out thing. I suggest you start with a big meal before you waste away to nothing." Then he was gone.

Once he was safely alone again, Severus released a long, slow sigh and stood up. He didn't know what to do about Agent Lupin, but everything else, he could handle. He would start by leaving the museum, going somewhere for a healthy meal, and returning home for some sleep. After that, he would go to the gym. Beyond that, he had no idea what to do, but focusing on resuming his normal schedule would at least be a start, and for now, a little normalcy would do.


	3. Chapter 3

The ringing of the phone pulled Remus out of his nightmare-ridden slumber, and he sat up in bed, groping for the receiver blindly.

"Lupin," he muttered, rubbing his eyes so that he could focus on his bedside clock. It wasn't yet two in the morning, and adrenaline started to surge - no one ever called this early with good news.

"Remus, it's Kingsley," came the voice of one of Remus' fellow agents, one who had been his partner when he'd first started with the Bureau. "There's been a murder near RFK stadium, but... well, it could be your guy who did it. We have a witness who saw some kind of _thing_ gnawing at the body, but it got scared and ran off when he yelled."

"Really?" That brought Remus even closer to wakefulness, and he pushed back the sheet, propping the phone against his shoulder as he stood and moved toward his closet. "What kind of thing was it? A dog? A bear?"

Kingsley was silent for a moment, then he gave a somewhat uncomfortable chuckle. "Yes, really, but... well, it was dark, and you know how witnesses are. He passed a breathalyzer test, and yet he claims it was a werewolf, of all things."

Remus stopped, frowning. "You mean a wolf, right?" he asked. "Or a really big dog?"

"No, the guy is swearing it was a _werewolf_ ," Kingsley replied. "Look, just get down to the RFK parking lot, all right? We're having to hold this one against the DC cops - they're fine letting you have the bones that were dug up, but a fresh murder... well, that's something they can almost handle."

"Right. Be there in thirty minutes," Remus said, and hung up the phone. Staring off into space, he fought a battle with himself. His first instinct was to call Severus, but after the stilted fiasco of their last meeting, he wasn't certain it was the best thing to do. He wanted to see Severus, and yet he didn't, afraid he was going to make a fool of himself yet again. He didn't know why Severus got under his skin the way he did; Remus thought himself adult enough to deal with a rejection and still be able to act in a professional manner, but that wasn't proving to be the case. For some reason the way things had gone with Severus was making him hurt, making him doubt himself on levels he preferred not to think too much about. Sometimes he wished that he were more cavalier about sex - if he were, he could have had a fling with Severus and not felt stung by the way things had gone. As it was, however, he was feeling about as wretched as he had when his relationship with Dora had been falling into ruin, which was crazy because he and Severus hadn't even gone on a single date.

"Maybe I do just need to have a 'healthy sexual encounter'," he murmured, then grimaced, knowing that it wasn't going to happen. "Or maybe I should just do my job and stop thinking about it."

Before he could change he mind, he dialed Severus' number, preparing himself for possibly getting yelled at for the ungodly hour.

It only took three rings before Severus answered, and surprisingly, he didn't sound groggy or grumpy. "This is Dr. Snape." 

At the sound of Severus' voice, Remus swallowed hard, and when he spoke his voice was huskier than he would have liked. "I'm sorry for the late hour, but this is Remus Lupin," he said. "I just got a call from the Bureau - they're holding the body of a murder victim who was killed tonight, and they think it might be our killer who did it."

There was a lengthy pause on the other end of the line, and when Severus spoke at last, he sounded cautious. "Are you telling me this so my team and I won't be surprised when there is a dead body in our workspace tomorrow morning or because you want me to look at it tonight?"

"I hate to ask, but we need it looked at tonight," Remus replied, his tone apologetic - he wasn't certain if after their last encounter Severus might not tell him to go hang. "Since we aren't certain it's the same perp, the local police are ready to fight with the FBI about jurisdiction. The murder took place at the stadium, and there was a witness, so the news is going to be all over this - and the city really hates bad press. If it got out that a serial killer was stalking sporting events, there would be hell to pay, so they don't want it to be our guy." He drew in a deep breath. "Would you mind coming with me to check it out? I know it's an imposition, but I promise I wouldn't ask if it weren't important. I can even pick you up and bring you home, if you'd like."

There was another pause, this one longer than the first, and then Severus finally said, "Very well," although he sounded distinctly dubious. "You may come now, if you wish. It won't take me long to get ready."

"All right. I'll be there in about ten minutes," Remus said, relieved that Severus had agreed. "And thank you."

"Ten minutes it is," Severus replied, and then he hung up without saying anything more. Remus winced and hung up the phone, then hurried to get ready. No doubt this was going to be awkward, but he'd do the best he could to smooth things over.

He was dressed in jeans and a polo shirt within a minute, then within ten he was pulling up at Severus' house, which was set back off a rural road in one of the few remaining undeveloped areas in Northern Virginia. It was dark and quiet, although the glow of the city was easily visible off to the north. Remus couldn't help wondering if it was symptomatic of Severus' seeming desire to have no ties with anyone, since there were no close neighbors and probably not many chance visitors out here. 

Pulling up at the end of the long drive, he spotted Severus waiting in front of the house. When he stopped the car, he saw Severus move off the porch and toward the car; for once, Severus wasn't dressed in a tailored shirt and trousers, but he didn't look thrown together, either. He wore pressed jeans and a plain black tee-shirt, and his long, dark hair was pulled back in a neat topknot; he didn't even appear stubbly or bleary-eyed despite the lateness of the hour. Remus unlocked the passenger side door, and Severus got in and buckled up. 

"Good morning," he said politely. 

"Good morning," Remus replied, wincing internally at the tone of Severus' voice. It was his fault, he knew, and it was up to him to make things right. Putting the car in gear, he headed back down the drive. "Thanks for coming, I realize it's an imposition."

"Not really. I was up writing anyway," Severus said, keeping his attention turned out the window even though it was too dark to see much of anything. 

"I appreciate it anyway," Remus said, then he paused and drew in a deep breath, deciding to forge ahead rather than endure another horribly awkward encounter. "Dr. Snape, I owe you an apology for my behavior. I was trying to be professional and I realize that instead I came off like a total jerk, and I'm very sorry about that."

Severus glanced at him, visibly surprised at that. "Yes, you did," he said with his usual blunt honesty. "You behaved as if there was no middle ground. I refused to go on a date with you, and therefore, there could be nothing between us at all. It was rather off-putting."

Remus wanted to squirm, because he knew Severus had a point. "You're right," he said, sighing unhappily. "I really am sorry. I had no right to react as I did. It won't happen again, I assure you." It was the best he could do without blurting out things that he was certain Severus didn't wish to hear.

"I would appreciate it." Severus sounded a little less tense when he spoke this time, although his posture was still anything but relaxed. "I did nothing but answer honestly. I did not lead you on and then spring that information on you after we were already involved, thus your behavior was confusing."

"I understand," Remus replied. This was probably as awkward for him as silence would have been for them both, but he knew Severus hadn't deserved his behavior. "You're right, you did. It's my fault completely. I don't normally misread people so badly as I did in your case, and I'm sorry that I reacted as I did."

"Thank you." Severus glanced at him and nodded. 

"You're welcome." They had made it to the freeway, and Remus stepped on the gas, the engine of the Mustang responding with smooth power as they sped toward the city. Now that the apology was out of the way he was at an uncharacteristic loss for words, and still afraid of saying something that would shatter the fragile truce they seemed to have reached. "Well... we'll be there soon," he said at last.

"Where are we going?" Severus asked, sounding genuinely curious. 

"RFK stadium," Remus replied, glad of a subject that wasn't fraught - well, in his case at least - with emotion. "The body is still there, and my former partner is holding off the local police until we arrive."

"In the interest of complete honesty, I should probably point out that bodies with flesh still on them are not my area of expertise," Severus said. "That is more Minerva's area than mine, thus I would like the opportunity to let her look at it tomorrow, if the police and the FBI are willing to let it be transported to the museum. However, I can still be of help even if the bones are not visible." 

"That's what I thought - perhaps you could tell enough from the bite marks in the flesh to be able to tell if they were made by the same thing that made those on the bones," Remus said. He wondered if he should tell Severus the rest of what Kingsley had said, then shrugged and continued. "I mentioned there was a witness, but I didn't tell you what he claims to have seen." He half-smiled and gave Severus a sidelong glance. "Tell me, Dr. Snape, do you think you'd be able to recognize the bite of a werewolf if you saw it?"

"Real werewolves do not exist, of course," Severus replied in the old, familiar pedantic way. "It is merely a myth born of shamanistic ritual. However, there is a subculture that fetishizes vampiric behavior. I would not be surprised if it has expanded to include werewolves as well. Perhaps the killer is part of that subculture, although not a typical one," he added. "Their blood play is confined to consensual situations. Murder is not the goal. Nor is consumption of anything more than a little blood."

"Oh." Remus was a little taken aback by the sudden spurt of information, both the content and the fact that Severus knew it. But he considered what Severus said, matching it up to his own training in psychology and human nature, and nodded. "I suppose as with anything that seems strange but relatively harmless on the surface, there are those who carry it to extremes," he said. "You would not believe the numbers of people I've had to deal with who are ready to blame their actions on anyone or anything but their own selfish, evil tendencies. It wouldn't be surprising if there was something like that going on in this case. Perhaps someone who is secretly breeding killer wolves and using them to commit murder?"

"It is a possibility," Severus agreed. "Did the witness see any animal at the scene?"

"Kingsley said that the witness insists he saw a werewolf," Remus replied, giving a slight shrug. "I don't have any more than that, unfortunately, but I fully intend to talk to the man myself. If it _is_ a wolf, we should be able to track that down. God knows there are enough dog-fighting rings in DC, so someone will have to know something."

"One would think harboring a wolf within city limits would not be easy to do without being seen." Severus frowned slightly, appearing lost in thought. "I would like to be present while you talk to the witness, if that is possible," he said, rather unexpectedly.

Remus hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "All right. Perhaps he'll say something that you'd be able to tie in to whatever is attacking. And... here's our exit. Stay close to me, because the District police are apparently going to resent our presence."

"Very well," Severus replied, sounding agreeable rather than annoyed by the restriction. "Is this one of those situations that Regulus describes in which I shouldn't say anything because I will likely make it worse if I do?"

Remus surprised himself with a chuckle at Severus' observation, and he found himself relaxing slightly. "Far be it from me to nay-say someone who knows you so well," he replied. "Silence certainly won't hurt, but if you have an observation, I do want to hear it." 

It was easy to identify the scene by the flashing lights of the police cars, and Remus pulled up as close as he could, parking the car and unfastening his seatbelt. "Let's go take a look, shall we?"

With an affirming nod, Severus unfastened his seatbelt and got out of the car, and he fell in step beside Remus as they approached the scene, looking around with alert interest. 

"Remus, you're late," a voice hailed him, and Remus grinned as Kingsley - bald, ebony skinned, six-feet-four of muscle who moved like a well oiled machine - walked toward them. With his broad shoulders and big hands he looked more like a defensive back for an NFL team than an FBI agent, but Remus knew for a fact that his size was a decided advantage in a fight.

"Sorry, Kings, I had to pick up my expert," Remus replied as he shook Kingsley's hand. Their particular areas of expertise had carried them in different directions careerwise in the Bureau, but they still looked out for one another when the opportunity arose. "Kings, this is Dr. Snape from the Museum of Natural history, my bone expert. Dr. Snape, this is Kingsley Shacklebolt, one of the best agents the FBI has ever produced."

"Watch it, Lupin, or you'll make my head swell," Kingsley said, turning to offer his hand to Severus. "Pleased to meet you, Dr. Snape. Hopefully Remus here hasn't driven you insane with his crazy morning-person personality."

Severus clasped Kingsley's hand and shook it firmly, giving Kingsley what appeared to be a frankly appraising once-over. "It is a pleasure to meet you too, Agent Shacklebolt. I have only seen Agent Lupin early in the morning once, and he brought coffee." 

"It seemed the polite thing to do, since I was also bringing him a couple of corpses," Remus said, hurried interjecting before Kingsley - who knew his sexual orientation - said something jokingly that could be embarrassing. Given the unholy gleam in Kingsley's dark eyes, no doubt that had been exactly what he was going to do. "So, can you show us this body? If it doesn't seem to be caused by our guy we can let the locals get on with their own investigation."

"Right - the natives are definitely getting restless," Kingsley replied, then beckoned them to follow him. "Over this way."

He lead them to a cordoned off area surrounded by police, who were keeping the news media at bay. There were several other police inside the area, using their bodies to shield the scene from view. At a nod from Kingsley one of the men stepped aside, and Kings gestured for them to go ahead of him. "I've seen it," he said, shaking his head. "Every time I think I've seen the worst I can see, something proves me wrong."

Remus stepped up, and looked down at the shredded remains of what had been a man. His legs were still encased in dark trousers, but from the waist up his torso, arms, neck, and face had been mauled and shredded until they resembled hamburger more than flesh. "Oh," Remus said, his eyes wide. He'd never seen anything quite this horrific before, and he was certain he never wanted to see it again.

Severus surveyed the body with clinical detachment, appearing neither shocked nor disgusted by the sight. He knelt and peered more closely at the body, although he was careful not to move or touch anything, and when he looked up at the two agents again, his expression was one of intent concentration. "I do not believe an animal was involved," he said. "Not with this murder and likely not the previous murders either."

"Oh? Then what made the marks and shredded this poor sod?" Remus asked, his expression intense. "Those aren't knife marks!"

"No, they are teeth marks," Severus replied calmly. "I believe the reason we were unable to identify the source of the marks on the bones is because we were looking for the wrong species. We did not think to compare the marks to the human mouth, but I believe once I propose this theory to the team tomorrow, we will find that the marks were made by human teeth filed to points to resemble fangs."

"What?" Remus and Kingsley spoke in concert, then exchanged a look of horror.

"That's... unreal," Remus said, shaking his head in wonder. But he had no reason to doubt that Severus was correct. He looked at Kingsley. "Please tell the DC police that this is officially now an FBI investigation," he said. "Dr. Snape, if you don't mind, I'll have to body sent to your lab. At the moment, however, I want to talk to our witness, and we'll need a sketch artist."

"Very well." Severus stood up straight and nodded. "Bill could do it, if there is not anyone available from the FBI." Remus thought he might have caught a gleam of amusement in Severus' dark eyes at that. "Either way, I would still like to listen to your discussion with the witness."

"We have an artist on the way," Kingsley replied. "I'll send him over when he arrives. Go talk to the witness, and I'll soothe the feathers of the locals. If I can handle DC gangs, I think I can handle a few cops." He pointed to a police van. "Over there, his name is Neville Longbottom - and good luck, he's pretty rattled."

"Thanks, Kings," Remus said, then beckoned to Severus as he began to walk toward the van. "No doubt the poor man is freaked out by what he saw. I've seen Post Traumatic Stress Disorder more times than I care to count, but if we can get him calmed down, maybe we can get something useful out of him."

"I will leave that to you," Severus replied. "I am not good at calming people down or at offering comfort or consolation." 

"That's what I do," Remus said, giving him a smile. "You have your talents, and I have mine. Which is as it should be, right?"

"It is simply a reflection of the natural diversity of our species," Severus said. "Given the random combinations of genetics that occur with every birth, it is impossible that we would all be alike and have the same talents, intelligence, or personalities." 

Remus chuckled and shook his head; Severus was definitely not like anyone else, that was certain. "Here we are - and yes, I think following Regulus' advice in this case would be prudent."

With that Remus nodded to the police officer standing guard at the back of the large police van, one that was normally used as a portable evidence lab. The officer opened the door and Remus stepped inside, his eyes immediately drawn to the twenty-something man who was sitting on a fixed bench, his eyes darting nervously around as though he expected the walls to suddenly collapse in on him.

"Hello, I'm Agent Lupin of the FBI, and this is my associate, Dr. Snape," he said, his voice soft and soothing. "You're name is Neville?"

"Yes, Neville Longbottom," the young man replied. He was of medium height with a slightly pudgy build, his face rounded and younger looking than his years. His dark eyes were wide, and Remus could tell he was definitely overwrought by his experience. "Look, can I go? I told them what I saw, and everyone seems to think I'm crazy or high!"

"I don't think you're crazy," Remus said, taking a seat on the bench opposite Neville and motioning for Severus to sit as well. "I think you saw something horrible, and your mind is attempting to make sense of a senseless situation. You literally walked into a nightmare this evening, and it's only natural to want - to _need_ \- an explanation for what you saw."

Severus took a seat at the end of the bench, putting a discreet distance between himself and Remus and Neville, and while he listened intently, he remained true to his word and didn't say anything that might add to Neville's trauma.

"I swear, I saw a werewolf," Neville said, shuddering at the memory. "Like something out of the movies! It was over that man, growling and tearing at him, then it looked up at me... and it had fangs!"

Remus nodded. "All right, you know what you saw, but let's go a bit more in depth, if you don't mind. So, you say werewolf, but I know that at least in the movies that could mean almost anything, so I need you to describe just what you saw."

"I don't really want to remember," Neville said. "Believe me, I'd rather forget!"

"No doubt," Remus said sympathetically. "But I really need your help, Neville. You see, this isn't the first person this thing has killed, and we need to catch it before it kills someone else. You're the only person who has ever gotten a look at it, and that makes what you saw incredibly important. Please, Neville, won't you help me?"

Neville hesitated, his eyes wide, then nodded. "I'll try."

"That's all anyone can ask," Remus said, smiling at the younger man. "Now close your eyes, and I'll ask you some questions. If you don't know or don't remember, don't try to force it, just say you don't know, all right?"

"All right," Neville replied, and closed his eyes.

"Good man," Remus said, his voice full of approval. "Now werewolves are supposed to be part wolf and part man, but usually more of one than the other. Think about how you saw him crouched. Was his rear end up like a dog's would be, or down like a man's?"

"Down," Neville said instantly. "He... his knees were bent."

"Good!" Remus sounded pleased at that, and he gave Severus a brief smile. "Next, think of his neck and shoulders. Were his shoulders only a bit wider than his head, or much wider?"

"Much wider."

Remus continued with his questions, drawing out the details with patience and skill. At some point the artist arrived, but he entered silently and began to sketch without interrupting the proceedings. Severus quietly retrieved his phone and began taking notes as well, but he didn't interrupt, and he appeared almost pleased, as if having his theory validated was satisfying after weeks of frustration. 

Some time later Remus stopped his questioning, then glanced at the artist, who nodded.

"Neville, I want you to take a look at something and tell me if it's what you remember."

Opening his eyes, Neville took in a deep breath, seeming much calmer than he had when they'd begun. The artist held up the sketch he'd made, which showed a man with unkempt hair and a beard, crouching down over something on the ground. The face was dark and lined, the eyes wild and mean, and the lips of his mouth were drawn back to reveal teeth filed to sharp points.

"That's it! That's him!" Neville said, then blinked as he peered more closely at the drawing. "I... I guess it really was a man, after all. But at first it sure seemed like something else."

"You're sitting in a well lit van, with other people around, instead of out in the dark night being confronted with something horrible," Remus replied easily. "Believe me, it's true what they say about things looking different in the light of day, or just in the light of more normal circumstances. You weren't far wrong, though, from the looks of this picture. He really does seem like a reject from a Bela Lugoisi movie. It's just too bad that the horror in this case isn't faked."

"Yeah," Neville said somberly, and shuddered again. "I doubt I'll ever forget that face."

Remus nodded, and pulled out a card from his pocket, passing it to Neville with a smile. "Look, this is my contact information, if you think of anything else, but you've been amazingly helpful. I'm going to have someone from the Bureau take you home, and then you'll get a phone call tomorrow. What you've seen is not something anyone should have to witness, Neville, trust me on this, and I think you'll need someone to talk to. Not to help us, but to help you, all right?"

"All right." Neville nodded. "If you don't mind, I'd rather they took me to my parent's house than mine. I don't think I'd sleep being alone tonight."

"Not surprising," Remus said, then rose to his feet. He inclined his head at Neville. "Thank you again for your cooperation - you've just made catching this murderer a great deal easier." With that he motioned to Severus, and opened the van door, stepping out into the warm night air.

Severus nodded to Neville as he followed Remus out, and he stretched briefly before tucking his phone back in his pocket. "That seemed to go well," he remarked.

"Much better than I could have hoped," Remus replied, dragging his eyes away from the sight of Severus stretching out his long, lean body. He wasn't going to think of Severus like that again, because it could only lead to frustration. Severus didn't want friendship, either, but that didn't mean Remus couldn't act friendly, but lusting after Severus was definitely right out. "Now we have something to work with. A man with teeth filed to points and looking like a vagrant shouldn't been too difficult to locate. And we just might be able to get some DNA evidence off the body or around the crime scene. The main thing is to capture this lunatic as quickly as possible, before he kills anyone else."

"Agreed. Tonight seems to have been a helpful turning point for the case," Severus replied. "I will alert the rest of the team what to expect tomorrow morning. I assume you would like Bill to attempt a facial reconstruction or did the victim have identification?"

"No I.D.," Remus said, shaking his head morosely. "This guy may be an evil slime, but he's apparently trying pretty hard to cover his tracks. If Bill can do a reconstruction that would be great, and we'll send out dental records as well." He glanced over in the direction of the body. "Poor bastard. What a way to die. By comparison what I did to the men I killed was downright merciful."

"Oh?" Severus glanced at him curiously. "Did you kill many?" 

Remus felt the odd tightening in his chest that he always got when he counted up the tally, but he didn't shy away from it or try to deny it. "Fifty-one," he said quietly. "Forty-eight as a sniper, three since I joined the Bureau." He looked at Severus, wondering if he'd see shock or horror on his face. 

But Severus' expression seemed more contemplative than anything else as he replied, "I see." He regarded Remus in silence for a moment before adding, "That is a rather high number, but it was done in the line of duty, and as you have previous said, you did not enjoy it. That is what distinguishes you from _this_." He gestured in the direction of the mutilated remains of the 'werewolf' victim. "Besides, I imagine being shot is overall a quicker and cleaner way to die than being mauled, assuming a gut shot isn't involved."

"No, not gut shots," Remus replied. "Quick and clean, but just as dead. I'm glad you don't seem to think I'm a monster, though - believe me, I had doubts about it myself in the past." He drew in a deep breath. "I'll arrange for the body to be taken care of, and then I'll take you home. Again, thank you for what you've done; it's definitely made a huge difference in this case."

"I'm glad my team and I could be of assistance," Severus said with a nod, seeming pleased by the acknowledgment. 

"You definitely have been," Remus said. He pulled his keys from his pocket and offered them to Severus. "If you'd like, you can go have a seat in the car, and I'll finish this up as quickly as I can." Severus took them, and Remus watched him head toward the car, feeling a twinge of regret that he'd be dropping Severus at Severus' house instead of bringing him back to his own. Despite everything that had happened he was just as strongly attracted to Severus as ever - perhaps even more so. Unfortunately there were some things that seemed simply destined not to be, and Remus Lupin and Severus Snape as a couple was apparently one of them.

Turning away, Remus headed toward where he could see Kingsley, wanting nothing more than to get home and get back to sleep in his unfortunately very empty bed.

* * *

Severus glanced at his laptop screen and then at his cellphone, debating whether to call Agent Lupin or send him an email. Sending an email was more impersonal and safer, but if Lupin wanted to meet again in order to pick up the newest information in person, then Severus would have to face him again anyway, no matter whether he called or emailed. 

He leaned back in his chair and rubbed his chin idly, trying to sort out the reason behind his reluctance to communicate with Lupin. Things had gone reasonably well during their last encounter, after all; Lupin had apologized for his confusing, inexplicable behavior, but Severus still felt the need to be careful. It was probably Bill's fault, he thought with a slight scowl. Bill had planted the idea that he might be growing attached to Lupin - and that he ought to let it happen, for God's sake - in his head, and he had been uneasy ever since. But Severus was not a coward; he had never backed down from a challenge or shied away from obstacles before, and he wasn't about to start now. 

With a surge of resolution, he picked up the phone and dialed Lupin's number, ignoring the little thought in the back of his head that hoped his call went to voice mail. 

Unfortunately he wasn't that lucky; Lupin answered on the first ring. "Lupin," he said, his voice husky and sounding slightly distracted.

"Agent Lupin, this is Dr. Snape," Severus said briskly. "My team and I have gathered some new information for your case. I wanted to know if you prefer me to email it to you, send it by courier, or give it to you over the phone." 

"Hello, Dr. Snape." Lupin's tone seemed to grow warmer, and it was obvious that as soon as Severus identified himself, he had Lupin's undivided attention. "Actually, I was on the verge of calling you, so this is fortuitous. Would you mind if I came to your office? I have several things to show you, and we perhaps we can discuss where the investigation is headed now."

"Ah..." Severus hedged for a moment, but he supposed there was no point in trying to avoid any meetings with Lupin; once the case was over, he and Lupin would go their separate ways, and he wouldn't have to worry about risking an unwanted attachment, no matter what Bill said. "Yes, that would be all right. I will be here for the remainder of the day."

"Great - give me ten minutes, and I'll lug my laptop over. See you soon!" With that Lupin hung up.

Severus ended the call on his end and placed the phone on his desk, and then he grabbed his coffee mug. He needed more fortification for this, and if Bill got in his way this time, there would be hell to pay. Fortunately, he procured a fresh cup of coffee without incident, and he was back in his office within five minutes, and he passed the time until Lupin's arrival by organizing all the reports and information he had to present. 

Within the promised ten minutes there was a knock on his door. "It's Agent Lupin," Lupin's voice announced.

Severus drew in a deep breath and sat up straight before calling out, "Come in!"

The door open and Lupin entered, smiling at Severus. He was carrying a black laptop case, and Severus could see that he seemed to be excited or pleased about something. "Hello, Dr. Snape," he said, lowering himself into the chair across from Severus. "It seems we've both made progress, and I'm eager to share results."

"Very well." Severus nodded and reached for a stack of papers, straightening them before handing them over to Lupin. "Our most notable discovery thus far is that the murderer appears to be taking mementos of his kills. We cannot tell if this is habitual behavior, given the decomposed state of the earlier victims, but we discovered the victim prior to the last was missing hair. It appeared as if a sizable amount had been cut and taken."

"Really?" Lupin's eyes lit up with interest, and he took the papers, studying the notes intently. "I'm not surprised, actually; it is very common for serial killers to take trophies. Mementos of who they killed, as some sort of sick reminder. Hair isn't unusual, but I will say it's more commonly seen done to female victims rather than male. But this is very useful information, and even better, perhaps, it gives us a potential evidentiary link if we can find the killer." He looked up, grinning widely. "Great work by you and your team, Dr. Snape."

"Thank you," Severus replied, inclining his head to acknowledge the compliment. "I will let them know you said so. We were also able to confirm my theory about the filed teeth. Bill compared the castings he made to the typical human mouth, and it was a match. The killer is most definitely a cannibal."

"Ah... we have a Jeffrey Dahmer on our hands," Lupin replied with a grimace. "Definitely a sick, evil individual. But the teeth are exactly what I've been working on." He opened the case and pulled out a laptop, opening it and waiting as the computer woke. "Plus we've finally had positive IDs on the first two victims." He tapped on the mousepad, then turned the computer around so that Severus could see the screen, which displayed the images of two blond haired men, real photos alongside the renderings Bill had made. Other than the shade of hair and eye colors, the resemblances were almost perfect. "I suspect the Bureau will desperately try to hire Bill as a consultant, if not woo him away from you completely. He's amazing."

"Bill is indeed very good at what he does," Severus agreed. _Even if he is a meddling romantic_ , he thought sourly. "I would dislike losing his services here, but I imagine he would be willing to consult again in the future if the Bureau needed him."

Lupin smiled. "That would be great - and even better if you and your whole team would be willing to consult. Your help in this case has been incredible. But for the moment we still have a bit of work for this case. I ran a database pull of known felons with unusual teeth; some are filed, some are naturally sharp or have decayed to points. There are a rather amazing number of them, and that's what I was going through when you called. What do you think about going over the records with me, and eliminating those you don't think match?"

Severus bit back the questions that immediately rose to his lips - _Does that mean you and I would continue working together, and is that what you truly want?_ \- in favor of focusing on the task at hand. Instead, he nodded. "Very well. Perhaps we can narrow down the list somewhat."

"That would be helpful," Lupin said, giving a sigh of relief. "Even discounting those in prison at the moment or otherwise known to be on the other side of the country, there are still nearly a hundred possibilities, which is far more than I'd expected when I started. Shall I come over there and sit by you? Since we'll both need to see the screen at the same time." He gave Severus a look that seemed too innocent to be innocent.

Severus gave him a dubious look but nodded reluctantly and moved his chair to one side. "I suppose so," he said. "You may move one of those chairs to this side."

Lupin did as Severus instructed, sliding his chair beside Severus' and placing the laptop on the desk between them. He clicked on an icon on his desktop and pulled up a document containing pictures and profiles of the suspects. "I imagine you'd be able to tell from the teeth if there is any possibility at all that the man could be our suspect?" he asked, raising a brow.

"I believe so," Severus replied. "I have familiarized myself with the castings Bill took, enough that I know the general size and shape to look for." 

He resisted the urge to scoot his chair a little further away from Lupin's, refusing to be affected by Lupin's size and sheer presence; it was more difficult to ignore in such close proximity, but he knew better than to let himself be anything but professional.

"Excellent! I'm seeing most of these for the first time myself, so I won't be biasing you one way or another," Lupin said. He nodded his head toward the first picture, which showed a dissolute looking young street thug who was sneering at the camera, showing a mouth full of broken teeth. As Lupin moved the subtle, spicy scent of his cologne reached Severus, something that seemed to be a warm blend of cinnamon and cloves with other more subtle notes.

The scent was unfortunately appealing, and Severus leaned away slightly. The last thing he needed was one more thing to find attractive about Lupin. Instead, he focused on the screen. "Not him," he said, shaking his head. "We suspect the killer deliberately filed his teeth, especially given what your witness claimed to have seen. Pointed teeth would make it easier for the killer to bite and tear flesh in an animalistic manner, which he seems to prefer."

"All right, one down," Lupin replied, clicking on a button to reject the suspect and pull up the next. "I do hope our guy is among these; I don't know exactly how it would be taken to start approaching dentists asking if any of their patients have a preference for filed teeth, much less whether they like to nibble on fingers during a cleaning."

"I suspect you would need to approach less reputable body modification establishments rather than dentists," Severus said. "And no, not this one either."

"Well that could be interesting," Lupin said, a hint of a drawl to his voice. "I don't have any body modifications myself, but I've considered it from time to time. Maybe that could be my cover for visiting."

"As long as you do not get any work done. There are risks if you are not careful about where you go." Severus paused, considering something he had noticed over the years. "I thought most military men got a tattoo as a rite of passage." 

"Many do, but not all," Lupin replied. "It can be dangerous if you're captured." His eyes went suddenly empty, his face completely devoid of any emotion at all for several long moments. Then he shook his head and drew in a breath that didn't sound entirely steady. "No, I don't want a tattoo."

Severus _knew_ he shouldn't ask, that learning personal information about Lupin would do nothing but heighten the risk of forming an attachment; a shallow knowledge base combined with a professional attitude was far safer, but unfortunately, his curiosity got the better of him. "Why not? I do not understand why it could be dangerous." 

Lupin didn't look at him, concentrating instead on the screen. "If you kill a lot of enemies, sometimes they come looking for you," he said, his voice carefully neutral. "Sometimes people are captured, and it doesn't do to give your captors an easy means of identifying you as an American soldier. As you've seen from our suspect, not everyone kills quickly and cleanly. Sometimes they like to hold people and... play with them. It isn't pleasant, to say the least."

"Ah." Severus was the first to admit that his ability to read and understand people, especially emotional reactions, was minimal at best, but even he could tell there was something behind Lupin's words. "Are you speaking from personal experience?"

"Yes." Lupin turned to look at him, his eyes dark. "I was held captive in Afghanistan for nearly a month by people who didn't appreciate my skills and wanted the knowledge I had about my unit. I survived, but it took several months for them to put me back together again, physically and mentally."

Severus regarded Lupin in silence for a long moment as he digested that new bit of information; he never would have guessed from Lupin's personable demeanor that he had suffered through such an experience, and he felt both sympathy and respect that Lupin apparently _had_ put himself back together afterward well enough to function and to function well. He wasn't certain what the appropriate response was, and so he took his best guess. 

"My sympathies," he said. "You seem to have recovered well." 

"It was over ten years ago," Lupin replied quietly. "And how I cope with it now is better than I did then. I suppose part of my marriage was desperately wanting to feel something normal after that experience. In which case I caused a lot of pain to a good friend by using her to try to relieve me own pain." He shook his head and drew in a deep breath. "But as a result of what I know about people, I'd very much like to put this bastard in prison."

"Then perhaps you should show me some more photographs," Severus suggested, eager to steer the focus away from personal matters. The less he knew about Lupin, the better as far as he was concerned.

"All right," Lupin replied, then gave Severus a faint smile. "But you did ask. So, what do you think about this guy? He's older than most of the others, but he has a rap sheet a mile long."

"You are correct," Severus acknowledged with a slight nod. "I apologize for bringing up too-personal issues." He turned his attention to the screen and studied the photograph intently at the potential suspect. "This one is a possibility. His teeth are clearly filed, not broken, although I am not certain if he has as many filed as the killer does. I suggest putting him on the list." 

"No apology necessary," Lupin said easily. He clicked a confirmation on the current suspect, then moved on. They moved fairly quickly through most of the subjects, with Lupin paying very close attention to Severus' observations and rarely disagreeing when he relegated a suspect to the group of unlikelies. They were down to only a handful more, when Lupin called up a picture of a man who looked extremely disreputable, with an almost mad gleam to his eye and a smile which bared a mouth full of sharp, almost fang-like teeth. "Frederick Greyback. No violent record, but arrested three years ago for stalking."

Severus stared at the photograph, abruptly reminded of what the witness had said about seeing a werewolf. If any man ever looked like a werewolf, Greyback did, and if Severus ever gave credence to such things, he would have said he had a premonition or an instinct about the man. "Put him at the top of the list," he said at last. "His teeth are an excellent match. He even looks wolfish."

"He does at that," Lupin agreed, leaning closer to the screen. "Not someone it would be pleasant to meet up with after dark, attendant corpse or not." He clicked a button, bringing up a longer listing of information. "Spent a year in the DC jail, released with time served, has a restraining order in place in relation to..." Lupin stopped, and whistled softly under his breath. "One Lucius Malfoy, and his son Draco Malfoy. Well, well, what do you think about that?"

"I think he is a strong possibility," Severus replied matter-of-factly. "Haven't most of the bodies been found buried on Malfoy's property?"

"All of the ones that were buried were on his property... and the last victim was killed close by, no doubt destined to be buried there as well." Lupin sat back in his chair, frowning and stroking his lower lip with a finger. "I'd say we've found a smoking gun, but there's a problem... Greyback has 'no fixed address', and if we put out an APB on him, he might go to ground and we'll never find him. This has to be done very carefully. He has to think we don't have a clue, that he's still safe and we're blundering around looking in a completely different direction."

"But you do have an area to stake out," Severus pointed out. "If this man is the killer, then it seems likely he will continue to treat Malfoy's property as his territory. There is one other thing: you may want to look for a particular type as his victim." He spread out the photographs and the renderings of the victims on his desk. "The victims you brought to us were all under the age of twenty-five. The ones we have been able to identify were blond men." 

Lupin gave him a look at was full of pleased respect. "Excellent work, Bones," he said, smiling in satisfaction. "I don't know what young Draco looks like, but I am far too familiar with the elder Malfoy's platinum locks. Seems we have almost everything we need. Motive, opportunity, means... now all we have to do is tie it all together, and capture the bastard."

Severus glanced at him, surprised to hear the nickname again, although he wasn't certain he was pleased by the implications of it; it would be far easier in the long run if Lupin continued to keep his distance. "That falls under your job description, not mine," he said. 

"Yes, I know," Lupin replied. He looked at Greyback's picture again. "Too bad it isn't wartime - I'd just shoot him. As it as, I have to catch him, and that's not only more difficult, it's more dangerous." He closed the computer, then stood. "I should get back to the Bureau with this. Then I can formulate a plan to bring him down."

"Good luck." Severus felt as if he could breathe more easily once Lupin moved away and he had his personal space back again. "If we find out anything else, we will let you know." 

"Thanks." Lupin moved away, retrieving his case and putting the computer away. Then he straightened. "Thanks again for all your help, Dr. Snape. With any luck you won't have to put up with me again. I'll send you an email when we catch him, if you'd like. And I'll have someone from the Bureau come to collect the evidence so you can get back to your normal work."

"Very well." Severus nodded as he watched Lupin gather up his things. Even he was capable of understanding that their interaction was coming to an end, and he told himself firmly to be relieved, not disappointed. "I am glad we could assist." 

"You did more than that - I couldn't have done it without you." Lupin smiled, then held out a hand to Severus. "I wish you all success, Dr. Snape. The Bureau and the people of DC owe you a great deal."

Severus hesitated, but then he clasped Lupin's hand and shook it firmly, ignoring the warmth and strength of Lupin's fingers. "No one owes me anything," he replied. "I did what I thought was right." 

"If more people did that, my job would be a lot easier," Lupin replied. He released Severus' hand, then stepped back. "So long, Bones." With that he turned and left, shutting the door behind him quietly.

Severus stood and moved the chair Lupin had used back to its proper place, and then he returned to his own seat, although he didn't - couldn't - return to work straight away. He didn't understand the inexplicable sense of something wrong, of something missing, but he suspected he knew what Bill would have to say about it. It was a sign, perhaps, that he had escaped just in time, before he had grown truly and unintentionally attached to Remus Lupin. Forming attachments was too dangerous, something he had vowed never to do, and he'd had a narrow escape, no matter what romantic nonsense Bill had spouted. 

Severus told himself that several more times before he finally opened his laptop and got back to work.


	4. Chapter 4

Bill frowned at the rendering on his screen, moving his mouse and making a slight correction to a cheekbone on the man's face. It was probably a moot point, given that from what Severus had told them, Agent Lupin had the identities of both the victims and the killer, but for the sake of thoroughness he wanted to have images of all the victims. Besides, it was good practice, and he was always refining and adjusting his program, every new image coming closer and closer to reaching his ideal.

Finished at last, he sat back and rubbed his forehead as he glanced at the clock on his computer. It was after 7:00 - no wonder he was hungry! His stomach rumbled, and he pushed back from his desk, turning to glance around the lab. Not surprisingly he spotted Regulus, who was apparently still absorbed in his own investigations. Rising to his feet, Bill sauntered over, resting his hip against the edge of Regulus' desk and smiling.

"It's later than I thought, and I'm starving," he said. "Want to go grab a bite? Or I can run down to Luigi's on the corner and bring back pasta, if you're busy."

"Hmm?" Regulus glanced up absently at Bill, and then he seemed to snap out of his work-induced haze, and he looked at the clock. "Huh! I didn't realize it was that late either." He slid off his stool and stretched. "Let's go out and get something. I could use a change of scenery."

"Sounds good!" Bill slipped off his lab coat, draping it over the back of a chair in front of Regulus' desk. "Any preference for where we go?"

"Didn't you say something about pasta? Or we could go to the diner, as usual." Regulus shrugged as he took off his lab coat and put it aside as well. "I'm not picky, just hungry." 

Bill thought for a moment, thinking that there was something he should probably bring up to Regulus, asking his opinion about, and there was too great of a chance of someone who knew Severus, or even Severus himself, running into them at the diner. "Let's go for Italian," he said decisively, then grinned. "Besides, that way we can have wine with dinner instead of just tea."

"I won't say no to that," Regulus replied with a smile, and he steered Bill toward the door with alacrity. "Pasta and wine it is."

It only took them a few minutes to make it to Luigi's, a quiet eatery just around the corner from the Museum away from the Mall. There weren't many patrons mid-week, and they were seated immediately at a booth at the rear. The waiter presented their menus then promised to return with water and garlic bread while they made their decisions.

"I love the Alfredo here," Bill commented, setting aside the menu without even opening it. He'd seen it many times, after all, and he knew the pasta would be good and filling.

"Lasagna for me," Regulus said after giving the menu a cursory look. He put his menu aside as well and folded his hands on the table as he looked at Bill. "The waiter can suggest a wine, I'm sure. I'm no expert, so I'll be happy to take his recommendation unless you happen to be a connoisseur."

"No, I'm not, but I do like it with Italian food," Bill replied quietly, sighing as he leaned back in the booth. "Man, I love my work, but sometimes it's nice to get out of the office for a bit. I know I can get a bit obsessive, but at least I'm not as bad as Severus about it."

"Very few people are as bad as Severus," Regulus pointed out, a gleam of amusement in his pale eyes. "Although he seems to be worse than usual lately."

"Yeah... although he is getting better, after I had a talk with him." Bill shook his head in exasperation. "He's more than just a boss; I do consider him a friend, but I swear that sometimes I don't know what to do about him. He just... he's brilliant, don't get me wrong, but the whole thing about 'can't see the forest for the trees' definitely applies at times."

Regulus tilted his head inquisitively and fixed Bill with a curious look. "What do you mean?"

Bill tilted his head to one side. "So, what would you do if you had a strapping, gorgeous hunk of man ask you out on a date? Would you accept, or decline?"

Regulus blinked, appearing taken aback, and it took a moment before he replied. "Is that a hypothetical question or is this dinner more than I thought it was?"

The question startled Bill, and then he chuckled. "Sorry, that must have seemed odd - maybe Severus is rubbing off on me more than I thought! Actually, I don't even know your preference, but it was actually meant as a hypothetical question in relation to Severus - feel free to substitute out 'voluptuous, buxom woman' if that works better. My point was, as a normal man, what would your response tend to be if someone attractive simply asked you out?"

"No, the strapping, gorgeous hunk part was right," Regulus admitted with a wry smile. "If the hunk in question was also intelligent and interesting, and we had decent chemistry, I'd say yes. Why?" His expression turned quizzical again. "What does that have to do with Severus?"

"Interesting," Bill said, filing away that information for future consideration - he knew most people weren't as open about their sexuality as he was himself, and Regulus was a very, very attractive man. But this was about Severus at the moment. "Well, our boss was asked out by the rather delectable Agent Lupin. Asked out on a date, which is a pretty normal occurrence for most people. Can you guess what Severus' response was?"

"Oh, God." Regulus buried his face in his hands, but before he could respond, the waiter returned, and Regulus waited until after they'd given their orders and gotten a suggestion for a good wine before continuing. "He probably told Lupin he was willing to have sex, but dating was out of the question. Do I get a prize?"

"First place, in fact," Bill said, chuckling and shaking his head. "Apparently Agent Lupin was rather perturbed by this response, which was a huge surprise to Severus, since Severus can't recognize when a man is totally besotted with him. No doubt Lupin was thinking romantic thoughts about white picket fences, since he's that type, so having Severus reduce his emotions to so much unnecessary baggage probably made him want to crawl into an hole and die. Which Severus also couldn't understand."

Regulus sighed and shook his head. "Severus is brilliant at his job, but with other people... not so much. I guess that explains the weird vibe from Lupin lately."

"Yeah - Severus is more literal than the dictionary and about as perceptive when it comes to the feelings of others," Bill said, although his tone was fond. "Actually the most interesting thing isn't Lupin's reaction, which is about as normal as you can get. It's Severus' - that spate of working and not eating was brought about apparently by Lupin turning colder than an icecube to him. I do think they're on easier ground now, but I've never seen Severus so perturbed about anyone's reaction to him before. You know how he is about attachments, and I'm convinced Lupin has actually managed to get under his skin. Which he dislikes intensely, and is also denying."

The waiter returned with their wine and a basket of bread, and Regulus wasted no time in picking up his glass and taking a sip. "It's possible," he said. "I suppose it's inevitable that he'd end up getting attached to someone sooner or later. I'm surprised it was Lupin, though. I always thought Severus would end up falling for another scientist, not a cop."

Bill looked at Regulus with a hint of exasperation. "Come on, even you must be able to tell that man is far, far more than 'a cop'! He's obviously been damaged and covers up some wound with that amiable, mom-and-apple-pie personality. There's a depth to him, and he might not be a scientist, but he's far from stupid. Not to mention being drool-worthy gorgeous. If he'd asked _me_ out, I wouldn't have hesitated for a nano-second, and he's not even really my type. But I think he's Severus'. Severus needs someone patient and stable who will _stay_ , no matter what. I think Lupin could be that; I wonder if Severus thinks it, too, or is more scared that Lupin might not be."

Regulus froze with a piece of bread halfway to his mouth, and he stared at Bill for a moment. "Did you do a background check on Lupin, or should I be wearing a tin hat to keep you out of my head, too?" 

"No background check," Bill replied, keeping his expression innocent. "And I'm not psychic, either. Besides, a tin hat would detract from all that gorgeous dark hair." He picked up his own glass of wine, sipping it and then smiling in appreciation. "Ah, this is good, the waiter made a good choice. But back to Severus. He's never going to make a move on his own, especially now that the case is pretty much over as far as we're concerned. I just wish I knew what to do to give him a nudge in the right direction."

"Why?" Regulus frowned slightly and shook his head. "I'm not sure it's a good idea to meddle in anyone's life, especially not your boss'. If Severus doesn't want to make a move, it's his choice. I mean, I agree that Severus needs someone with a near-infinite amount of patience who won't abandon him, but if Lupin is so interested, why hasn't he tried a little persuasion and persistence? I don't want to push Severus out on a limb only to find out Lupin isn't interested anymore."

"I think Severus _does_ want to make a move, but he's in denial. Not to mention that I doubt he knows how," Bill said. He considered Regulus' observation about Lupin. "Hmmm... You could be right about Lupin. Maybe he feels a bit out of his depth, too - let's face it, Severus simply isn't like anyone else, and he may be at a loss as to how to proceed. But I'm positive he's still interested. I've seen him look at Severus; a man simply doesn't look like that at someone he's not mooning over."

"In other words, you think they're at an impasse." Regulus sipped his wine and seemed to consider the problem. "I doubt suggesting to Severus that he ask Lupin out will do much good unless you want him to turn tail and run."

"Precisely," Bill said. He picked up a piece of bread from the basket and reached for the shaker of Parmesan cheese, sprinkling a liberal amount on the top. "That's where I'm stuck at the moment. I might have to call Lupin and give him a nudge, but I don't know him well enough to know how he'll take it. If he got offended he might stay away."

"I suppose it depends on what kind of nudge you give him," Regulus said slowly, and then he gave Bill an aggrieved look. "I can't believe I'm letting you drag me into your machinations, but if you want my advice, I think the best thing is not to nudge either one of them directly. It might be better to arrange for them to be together and let them proceed - or not - on their own. That way, you won't get in trouble for meddling if things go wrong."

"That's brilliant!" Bill grinned, pleased with Regulus' suggestion. "I'm willing to bet that the attraction is strong enough to take over, once they do get together. Hmmm... leaving a note on Severus' desk asking him to meet Agent Lupin is easy enough, but how do we get something to Lupin so that he'll think it's from Severus?" He smiled at Regulus beguilingly. "Do you happen, among your conspiracy theorist friends, to have someone who knows anything about how they do things at the FBI?"

"Oh, no." Regulus shook his head firmly, his expression resolute. "I've done my part! If I get in any deeper, my head will roll right along with yours if things go bad."

"Really?" Bill looked at Regulus through his lashes. "Are you sure there isn't anything I could do to change your mind? I think we'd make a very good team."

Regulus regarded him suspiciously. "Yes, you can pay for dinner and tell Severus it was all your idea if he gets pissed off. Otherwise, I'm out."

Bill laughed. "Fine, fine, if that's all you want," he replied. "You're about as good for my ego as Severus was for Lupin's, but I'll take any help you're willing to give." The waiter arrived with their food, and Bill picked up his wine glass, raising it to Regulus in a mock toast. "Here's to true love - may it overcome all obstacles - especially overly-literal forensic anthropologists and cute but unpersistent FBI agents."

Lifting his glass, Regulus touched it lightly against Bill's. "Here's hoping poorly socialized idiots can cut through the bullshit and end up together without too much nudging from well-meaning if overly romantic colleagues," he said.

"That'll work, too," Bill said. It might take a miracle, but fortunately for Severus and Agent Lupin, he just happened to believe that they could really happen. Especially if the sex was really, really good.

* * *

Special Agent Remus Lupin was tired, cranky, and frustrated. Considering that none of the three states were pleasant, he was greatly interested in changing them as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, the universe seemed to be conspiring to make certain that didn't happen.

First and foremost his inability to locate Frederick Greyback was driving him crazy. He shouldn't have been surprised at that; locating a man who obviously didn't want to be located, who had been homeless for years and was obviously used to hiding both himself and several bodies in the middle of the Nation's Capital obviously had some skill at remaining undetected. They'd not been able to offer a reward, since, officially, Greyback was only a "person of interest" rather than a formal suspect, and coincidence and Remus' gut instinct did not a case make. They needed Greyback in custody and physical evidence as well as interviews to be able to bring formal charges. Things that couldn't be done while the man remained elusive.

Searches, questioning of locals, every avenue of investigation had lead nowhere. Remus had even gone so far as to contact Lucius Malfoy, without telling him _why_ he was looking for Greyback, and they man had tersely informed him that since there was a restraining order, he'd damn sure better _not_ see that mangy cur anywhere in his vicinity or there would be hell to pay. Which meant that Remus was no closer to finding Greyback than he'd been three days before, when he and Severus had made the identification.

Severus... that was the other cause of his disgruntlement. He missed seeing Severus, missed having a reason to call him. He'd thought about doing it anyway, but then he'd have to have a reason why, beyond "I wanted to hear your voice". Severus had made it very clear that he didn't _want_ a relationship, which left Remus at somewhat of a loss as to how to proceed. He was torn between telling Severus "too bad, I want one, so get used to it" and just giving up, but neither choice really appealed to him. Normally he was good with people, relating to them very well and able to burrow past their defenses and get what he wanted, but with Severus he felt very much out of his depth.

It was obvious Severus' attitude was a defense mechanism, probably in relation to his parents, but Remus' hopes that he could be a hero by finally solving the mystery that had been haunting Severus for years had come to naught. There simply wasn't any information he could find in the national databases, and an investigation on a local level was out of the question at the moment because of the case. He didn't want to call Severus just to give him what was essentially bad news, and so he was at a loss as to how to proceed without Severus shutting him out or running away. He needed to come up with a way to get closer to Severus, but at the moment he simply couldn't figure out what that might be.

Sighing, he threw down his pen and rubbed at his temples. He'd not slept much in days, and he was on the verge of collapse. It would probably be best if he just took a sleeping pill and dealt with things in the morning.

In his pocket his phone suddenly vibrated, and he withdrew it, glancing at the message on the screen. He drew in a deep breath, unable to believe his eyes as he read the words.

_Lupin - Meet me at La Trattorio in Alexandria at 7PM. Have information. Dr. Snape_

There was no reason for Remus' heart to start pounding, nor for his exhaustion to slip away as though it had never existed. After all, Severus no doubt just wanted to discuss something about the case, not suddenly declare his undying love. But he felt better despite that, and he stood up, needing to freshen up before going to meet Severus. Fortunately he kept toiletries and a change of clothes in his office, so it would be easy enough to go down to the showers connected to the gym and make himself presentable. 

Twenty minutes later he was shaved, showered, changed, and in his car, headed for Alexandria. And Severus. Maybe he was no closer to finding Greyback, but at least, for the moment, he didn't care quite as much as he had.

The restaurant was a rather fancy looking place, and Remus found his hopes suddenly soaring. Surely Severus wouldn't have chosen to meet at such a place just to discuss business, would he? Remus tried to keep himself from grinning widely as he parked the car and hurried up the steps, but the raised brow of the maitre d' told him that he wasn't quite as suave as he hoped.

"No, the gentleman you are meeting hasn't arrived yet," Remus was told, but it didn't diminish his good mood at all. He let the maitre d' lead him to a rather secluded table away from the main walkway area, and then left him alone with a menu to await Severus' arrival.

He didn't have long to wait; in a matter of minutes, Severus arrived at the table, looking around at the restaurant and then at Remus with obvious bewilderment. 

"This seems like an odd place to discuss forensics reports, Agent Lupin," he said as he sat down in the chair across from Remus'. 

"Excuse me?" Remus said, not certain he had heard correctly. Maybe Severus was having him on, just to break the ice, and he smiled in amusement. "Well, I suppose it's just as easy to meet in a nice place as a dump, don't you?"

"I suppose so, but I would hardly call the diner a dump, and it's far more convenient a place to meet than here," Severus replied pragmatically. "I don't object to the surroundings or location. I was simply curious why you chose this place rather than somewhere closer."

If Severus was joking, Remus could only marvel at the way he kept his expression so completely neutral, and a bit of doubt assailed him. Maybe Severus was testing him, seeing how tolerant he was of having a joke played on him. He wouldn't have thought Severus was the sort to play jokes, but perhaps he was trying to show Remus a more carefree side. It was probably prudent to play along then, and let Severus have his fun.

"Actually, I've never been here before," Remus replied truthfully, and his smile didn't falter. "But someone whose opinion matters to me suggested it."

"I haven't been here before either," Severus said as he looked around again, taking in the decor. "I believe I have heard Bill mention it, however. It seems like the sort of place he would like." 

Ah, so that's how Severus knew of it! Remus chuckled to himself, certain now that Severus was having him on. "Yes it does, doesn't it?" he asked innocently. "So, would you like some wine with dinner? We could get a bottle to share."

"I suppose we could." Severus was beginning to look dubious, perhaps even a little suspicious, but he nodded assent nonetheless. "I assume you're off for the evening, then, if you're going to drink?" 

"Yes I am," Remus replied, still acting as though butter wouldn't melt in his mouth. "I'm completely at your disposal all evening, if needed."

Severus stared at him blankly for a moment. " _My_ disposal? But your message said you wanted to meet me. I thought you had something important to tell me about the case." He paused, his dark eyes widening. "Is this a date?" he asked in a hushed voice. 

Remus tilted his head to one side, wondering if this was Severus' unusual way of asking _him_ out. If he were uncertain of whether or not Remus would reject him, it would be safe enough to set things up like a joke, then be able to deny it was serious if Remus said no. As it was, he had no desire to pretend it was anything other than a date, so Severus was safe.

Dropping his voice to a low, husky tone, Remus leaned a bit closer, wanting to reach out and touch Severus but not wanting to push him faster than he was ready for. "We can talk about the case, if you prefer that. Or not; I'm fine with whatever you are comfortable with. If you don't want to consider this a date, we don't have to... but I'd rather like it if it were."

"I see." Severus lowered his gaze briefly and swallowed hard, showing signs of nervousness, but he didn't leap up and bolt out of the restaurant at the mere mention of the word 'date'. "If I had known your intentions..." He trailed off and shook his head. "No matter. The fault was mine for assuming you wished to keep our relationship purely professional." He drew in a deep breath and seemed to be bracing himself. "I suppose, however, since we are both here, we could indeed consider this... a date."

Severus' initial comments were rather confusing, and Remus suddenly began to wonder if there was something more going on. His instincts were starting to speak up, telling him something wasn't quite right, but then Severus capitulated, and Remus decided he didn't care. Severus, who didn't date, had just said that he considered _this_ a date, and that was all Remus needed to hear.

"Excellent, then we're in agreement," Remus said, smiling widely, beyond pleased. He motioned for the waiter, who come over at once, and ordered a bottle of wine. The waiter departed, and Remus turned his attention back to Severus. "It's been a long time since I've dated, but I imagine some things don't change much. Should we look at the menus and pick our meals, or would you prefer to talk for a bit? I'm fine with whatever you'd like - I'm just very, very happy that you're here."

"I don't know." Severus fidgeted restlessly with his napkin and silverware, seeming uncharacteristically awkward. "I've never dated at all, so I am unaware of the proscribed schedules, activities, or templates." 

Wanting to offer reassurance, Remus decided to take a chance. Reaching out, he laid one hand atop Severus', pressing lightly. He tried to ignore the tingle of awareness that shot up his arm at the contact; this was about reassuring Severus, since he didn't want Severus to be unsure or unhappy to be here. "There is no right or wrong in this, Severus. Just you and I, and a nice evening in a pleasant restaurant. Relax... I'm still the same person, and so are you. We're just getting to know each other outside of work a bit is all. You can't make a mistake, so don't worry about doing so."

"On the contrary, I could make a rather large mistake," Severus muttered, but he didn't pull his hand away.

"Well you can't make a mistake with me," Remus said with a smile. "We've spent time together before, and I've enjoyed it, so relax if you can. Why don't we look at the menu, figure out what we want to eat, and then perhaps you can tell me about your day?"

Still not quite able to make eye contact with Remus, Severus nodded and reached for his menu. "I had an interesting conversation with Regulus about the use of maggots in forensic investigations, but I don't suppose it's a topic I should repeat over dinner." 

"If you're comfortable discussing it, so am I," Remus replied easily, opening his own menu and scanning it briefly. He didn't even care what he ate, he was more interested in making Severus comfortable and relaxed, so that maybe, just maybe, Severus might consent to another date. "I've got a pretty strong stomach, and if you're interested in a topic, I'd love to hear about it."

Severus peered at Remus over the top of his menu, one eyebrow raised. "It isn't my area of interest in particular. Minerva is the flesh expert. I prefer to work with bones. However, I do try to learn about other areas when possible. One never knows when the information might be useful."

"I can imagine," Remus said, nodding in agreement. Perhaps this wasn't typical date conversation, but it wasn't as though Severus Snape was a typical date - or a typical _anything_ , for that matter. "It's the same way in the FBI. We all receive training in a variety of subjects, but then there will be people who are recognized authorities in various unusual subjects. One female agent used to compete in beauty pageants as a girl, which came in useful when there was a kidnapping of a child from one a few years back. Kingsley, whom you met briefly the other day, was raised in New Orleans and is quite familiar with Voodoo rituals and practices. Almost all of us have a hidden talent, actually, although we share information freely."

Severus consulted his menu a moment longer, and then he closed it and put it aside. "Is sharp-shooting yours?"

"Actually, no," Remus said, smiling mysteriously. "I wonder if you could possibly guess what mine is... feel free to try, if you'd like."

"I have never enjoyed or been particularly good at guessing games," Severus replied, shaking his head. "It would be simpler if you told me." 

"All right," Remus replied, not wanting to push Severus too hard. "I'm an expert knife thrower. Wanted to grow up and work in the circus when I was a kid - I can hit a bulls-eye when blindfolded from twenty feet."

"In other words, you have deadly proficiency with both guns and knives," Severus said. "No wonder you are in law enforcement." 

"I guess we tend to go with where our talents lie." The waiter approached the table, and Remus waited until he'd poured the wine and taken their orders before resuming. "I have other abilities, too, but they're mostly minor in comparison. How about you? I know you like to hunt, so you must be a good shot as well. Any other hidden talents?"

"I'm good at crossword puzzles. Other than that, you know my abilities," Severus replied with a little shrug. "On the whole, I'm not terribly interesting to most people. They seem to find dealing with me annoying or frustrating or both."

"Everyone can be annoying and frustrating from time to time," Remus said, not wanting Severus to think that he thought Severus was either. "And some people simply have no patience or persistence, so it's their loss. I think you're very interesting." He took a sip from his glass of wine, then smiled invitingly. "So what is the most interesting case you've ever worked?"

"This one," Severus replied promptly, although he did give Remus a dubious look as if he wasn't entirely convinced about Remus' veracity or perhaps his sanity. "It has been quite challenging." 

"That it has been - and I'm no closer to catching our suspect that I was a few days ago." Remus sighed and shook his head. "But I will get him, rest assured about that. So, what have you worked on mostly, Native American burials?"

"That and Egyptian mummies." Severus stared across the table at Remus, seeming to have something on his mind, and Remus could practically see the inner debate he was waging before he finally came out with it. "Why me?" he asked at last. "Why are you so insistent about dating _me_? We are in two different fields, we have polar opposite views and personalities, and we have little common ground. I fail to understand how you think this could last beyond a brief affair, even if I was willing to get involved so deeply."

Remus thought he had begun to understand Severus much better over the last week or so, and so he approached the answer without being coy or flirtatious. Looking Severus directly in the eye, he spoke seriously. "Beyond the fact that I find you both interesting and very attractive, and think that we work well together, as proven by our recent case... there is the fact that deep down inside, we're far more alike than you think. We were both let down by our parents, robbed of our childhoods and left to find our own way to maturity as best we could. You seem to have cut off personal ties with a vengeance, while I tried to form the wrong ties and ended up paying for it. We may have reacted differently, but that doesn't change the fact that we've shared the same inner pain. I didn't realize that at first, which was my fault and lead to our misunderstanding, but I do now. Neither of us wants to be hurt, which you've dealt with by rejecting personal relationships and I've dealt with by having lots of friends but refusing to let anyone close unless I think they might be _the_ person."

Severus frowned slightly, although with puzzlement rather than irritation. "I don't understand," he said, shaking his head. "How were you let down by your parents? All you have ever said was that your father was not a good father, but you seem perfectly normal and well-adjusted." 

"Years of therapy, as they say," Remus replied. There was no sense withholding anything, not if he wanted this to work with Severus, which he did. "My father was a nasty drunk, and he beat both my brother and myself, and my mother... well, she wasn't of much help even before she died. The only thing that kept me from killing myself as a teenager was my grandfather. He did what he could for both my brother and I, and without him I wouldn't be here because there were times when the hopelessness and despair were overwhelming. I went into the Army looking for a place to belong, and then it turned out that my best talent was killing people." He shook his head. "Normal and well adjusted? Maybe I'm getting there, but it hasn't been easy. As they say, appearances can be very deceiving."

Severus turned his gaze downward to his hands, which were folded on the table, as he appeared to process what Remus had said. "You are correct, it seems," he said at last. "We have both suffered because of our parents, albeit in different ways. However, I still don't understand why you believe that is sufficient to sustain a lasting relationship, especially with someone like me. I am not a romantic man. I distrust emotions and instincts. I am an introverted workaholic who will never be the warm and nurturing type. Frankly, I doubt my own ability to provide any sort emotional nourishment, however slight. You seem like the type to need someone very different from who I am and what I am capable of giving."

"I think I know what I need," Remus replied. "I'm not looking for someone to lean on emotionally; I think if anything, I'm more the nurturing type, looking for someone for whom I can be a pillar. Nor am I looking for someone just like me - I like your wit, your scientific mind, your directness. I do rely more on emotions and instincts, and while they generally serve me well, I'm far from infallible. We're not a matched set, Severus, we're more like yin and yang - complementary opposites. The weakness of one of us is the strength of the other, and that means balance. That's why I believe it could be a lasting relationship, if we were both committed to trying."

"I see." Severus' brow knit in a frown of concentration, and he fidgeted with his silverware again, but he didn't seem on the verge of bolting. "I suppose that makes sense, although in the interests of honesty, I should tell you that I don't yet know if I'm ready to try. I prefer not to form attachments, as you know, and I barely know you. On the other hand..." He released a short, frustrated breath and pressed his lips together. "I recently realized that despite my distrust of emotions, I've been allowing myself to be ruled by one: fear. I dislike that as well."

"That's understandable." It was both surprising and gratifying to Remus that Severus was still there, that he'd not up and bolted, claiming to never want to see Remus again. That was a positive thing, and so long as Severus was willing to listen and talk, Remus thought they could work through things, get Severus to a point of being ready. "And I'm not trying to push you, really. Normally people date for a while, and find their points of commonality and attachment more slowly, but I realize that you need to know what I'm thinking, so I've been as honest as I can be. I would like us to take the time to get to know each other, and for you to realize you have nothing to fear from me. Then, when you're ready, maybe we can give it a try. You don't have to worry that I'm fickle, or that I'll give up easily, and I know that I don't have to worry about you being honest with me. I think that's a start, at least, don't you?"

Severus fixed him with a stern look. "No more leaving and giving me the cold shoulder? I cannot and will not deal with anyone who leaves. I've had enough of that for one lifetime." 

"No more leaving, no more cold shoulder," Remus promised, making a cross over his heart and nodding solemnly. He didn't try to explain his reasoning behind his actions, because he knew that emotions were something Severus had difficulty understand, at least at the moment. With any luck, however, someday he'd be able to tell Severus about why he'd been so devastated, but until then he was content to simply give Severus the assurance he desired. "So long as you have patience with me sometimes seeming overly emotional from your point of view."

Remus found himself on the receiving end of another long, hard, searching look, but eventually Severus nodded. "You do seem overly emotional at times," Severus agreed. "More than most people, from what I've seen, but as long as no leaving is involved, I suppose I can tolerate it." He sighed and shook his head slowly. "This seems... unsafe, and it goes against my better judgment, but I will date you. As I said, I dislike being ruled by fear, and I can hardly deny that I'm attracted to you when I've already offered to have sex with you." 

"There is that." Remus nodded, although he was so relieved by Severus' agreement to date him that he couldn't help wanting to pump his fist in the air and shout "YES!" He didn't do it, of course, but he did grin. "Thank you for being willing to take a chance on me, Severus. I'm aware of how much you're stepping outside of your comfort zone, and I appreciate it very much." He leaned closer, and dropped his voice. "I'm attracted to you, too, and as we're dating, I've no objection to exploring our physical compatibility while we explore the other ways we mesh as well."

A hint of a flush rose in Severus' face at that, and he glanced away. "Sex without attachment is simple. I've never had sex with anyone to whom I was attached before. I would prefer not to rush into it for a number of reasons, the main one being I intend to be careful about this situation."

"I don't advocate rushing, either," Remus said, reaching out again to touch Severus' hand. "But would you mind me touching you, perhaps kissing you? I've thought about that rather a lot, you see. How much I'd like to kiss you."

"Not on the first date," Severus replied with a hint of haughty coyness. "Isn't that the normal social custom?"

Remus laughed; he couldn't help it, not when Severus had gone from being uncertain to delightful. "All right, I shall wait for our second date, then, in the interest of adhering to social customs." He was about to ask for that second date when the waiter returned with their food, and he reluctantly removed his hand from Severus'. The waiter withdrew and Remus took an appreciative sniff of the Chicken Marsala on his plate. "It does smell good, doesn't it? I'm suddenly starving - I've not eaten a decent meal in three days."

"You must not have anyone like Bill around," Severus said as he studied his own dish. "He ambushes me and refuses to let me have coffee if I don't eat and exercise properly." He glanced up at Remus, one eyebrow raised questioningly. "Is that habitual behavior with you when you are engrossed in a case or an anomaly?"

"No, I have no Bill to chastise me, although on the weekends that I have my son I'm better about it, because I have to take care of him," Remus replied. He took a bite of Marsala, and made a small hum of pleasure at the taste. "Oh, this is good. But to answer your question, yes, it's habitual when I'm engrossed in a case, except on a stake out. You wouldn't believe how incredibly boring that is, just sitting around waiting for something to happen - you get the urge to eat too much, then, and I have to make up for it with extra workouts." He tilted his head to one side. "Bill seems to be an exception to your rule about not having friends, if you let him nag you into taking care of yourself. It's certainly obvious he considers you more than just an employer."

"I let him nag because he gives me little choice in the matter," Severus replied acerbically. "I told him that I would not be held responsible for his emotional responses if he formed an unwanted attachment to me when I realized he was attempting to blur the employer-employee line. He laughed and told me he would consider me a friend whether I liked it or not. As he is an adult capable of making his own decisions, I decided there was no point in chastising him further since he seemed willing to deal with the consequences of befriending someone who didn't wish to be befriended."

"Well it's good that you have somebody to help make you look out after yourself," Remus said softly. Personally, he intended to take on the caretaking role himself in Severus' case, but he didn't mind Bill continuing his efforts, especially since Severus would have fired Bill if he really found his interference that annoying. He knew from experience how hard it was to get by all on your own, and Severus might consider himself an island, but the truth was that living that way was a pretty bleak existence. Severus had been badly hurt, but perhaps Remus could show him that not everyone was looking to abandon him. "How is your meal, by the way? And would you care for more wine?"

"The meal is satisfactory, and I have plenty of wine." Severus peered at him shrewdly. "Are those questions a sign you intend to usurp Bill's self-appointed position? I _can_ take care of myself. My recent lapse was due to an unusual preoccupation with a puzzling dilemma, nothing more. I don't require a caretaker on a regular basis."

Remus raised a brow. "Severus, I'm certain that you don't allow anyone to do for you anything that you do not wish to be done, right?" he asked, his tone matter-of-fact. "Of course you can take care of yourself, but the point isn't whether or not you require a caretaker, but whether you like, at least from time to time, to feel as though someone is there who _does_ care and wishes only the best for you. Having someone who enjoys being supportive of you doesn't indicate that you are a weak person or one who is needy; it simply means that in a world where far too many people don't care, that someone does."

Severus sat back in his chair, and Remus got the distinct impression he'd managed to render Severus speechless, at least momentarily, which he suspected was no mean feat. "Experience has taught me that becoming reliant on anyone other than myself is unwise at best and dangerous at worst," Severus said at last. "Other people are inherently unreliable, and I would rather not depend on anyone else. If the two people who are supposed to care for and take care of you the most are unreliable, how can anyone be trusted to care?" 

For a moment Remus considered Severus' words. It was becoming clear to him that being purely logical and basing all his arguments on reason seemed to work well, and it was fortunate that for all his own reliance on his feelings he was smart enough to be able to come up with reasonable explanations for how he felt about things. So this, he hoped, was something he could reassure Severus on.

"Minerva relies on you to care about your job and to do it well - she depends on you to do so. So, since your parents were unreliable, is her trust in you misplaced?" Remus asked quietly.

"Taking responsibility in one's job isn't the same as taking responsibility for another person," Severus pointed out. "I am a conscientious employee, but if she wished to rely on me for comfort or emotional support, then yes, her trust would indeed be misplaced, because I am not the type of person who can or will offer it." 

"See, that's where you are wrong," Remus replied, looking at Severus earnestly. "Not about whether you can offer support to someone emotionally, but about the very nature of responsibility. It is absolutely no different about being responsible in your job or being responsible for another person, or a pet, or a friend, or a child. Perhaps you feel you can't offer that support to anyone, but perhaps you simply haven't met a person for whom you wish to be responsible. Tell me, do you think _I_ am emotionally irresponsible? Do you think I'm the type of person who can walk away from my son and abandon him?"

Severus seemed to consider this for quite some time, and when he finally spoke, his words were slow and measured. "I don't know you well enough to form a well-informed opinion, but based on my observations of your behavior so far, you don't _seem_ like the type. However, neither did my parents. The only true constant about human behavior is that it is largely unpredictable. None of us truly know what we are capable of ourselves, much less able to make assumptions about other people."

"True," Remus acknowledged Severus' point, but he wasn't going to give up, not yet. "There's no guarantee, just as there isn't one that someone won't do a criminal act, or that they'll be good at a certain thing. But at a certain point there has to be a level of trust, based on either past behaviors or other reasonable evidence, that someone is genuine. As an employer, you take that leap when you bring someone onto your team. As a society, we give a _presumption_ that someone is innocent until we are proved otherwise. It's not perfect, and certainly no one can tell you how you should feel, but to assume that all people are undependable is not only illogical, especially in the face of evidence to the contrary, it's quite unfair as well."

Severus opened his mouth as if to speak and abruptly shut it again, pressing his lips together in a firm line. "You have a point," he said at last, albeit grudgingly, and Remus could tell he wasn't pleased to make the admission, but it spoke of his acknowledgement of logic even when it presented him with facts he didn't like. "I will give it consideration." He paused and regarded Remus questioningly. "Although if you're telling me all this in hopes I will change who I am and how I behave, perhaps we ought to rethink this."

"I'm not telling you that you should trust everyone, no," Remus said softly, smiling at Severus fondly. "I doing it so just hopefully, maybe, at some point, you might come to trust _me_."

"I believe that is the whole point behind this anachronistic courtship ritual," Severus replied matter-of-factly.

"Yes, it is - but a wise man doesn't put all his eggs in one basket." Remus smiled, picking up his wineglass and taking another sip. "And I do hope that you are enjoying the anachronistic courtship ritual, since another purpose behind it is to make it pleasant enough that you wish to do it again."

"I suppose so. It's rather different from how I usually spend my evenings." Severus pushed a piece of asparagus around his plate with his fork. "I don't socialize, so spending several hours of my evening with someone is unusual for me, as is engaging in this much conversation." He glanced up at Remus curiously. "Is dating always like this?" 

"I've not dated in quite a while myself, but as I recall, first dates can often be a little bit uncomfortable," Remus replied honestly. He didn't want Severus to be uncomfortable, and while he didn't want to be seen as giving up, he felt that since Severus had been fair in acknowledging the points of Remus' arguments, he had to be fair in return. "Look, Severus... if this isn't pleasant, I'm not going to push myself on you, because you'll only come to resent me. _I_ want to see you, to be with you, to do things that _you_ enjoy as well. If you haven't decided that I'm a complete waste of your time after this, I'd like to go out with you again, but we can do something that you're comfortable with. Do you like concerts? Or the movies? Or simply sitting at home reading? Believe me, I'm fine with that, too."

"I agreed to date you, and any scientist will tell you the results of a single experiment cannot be used as conclusive proof of a pattern," Severus said pragmatically. "Therefore, I'm not willing to stop after a single date. However, you must remember that simply agreeing to date you in and of itself creates a significant change in both my life and my patterns of behavior. I would go so far as to call it a major upheaval, especially if this continues beyond a few dates. I doubt this is the one and only time I will be uncomfortable."

"Well I'll try to minimize your discomfort as much as possible," Remus said, his lips twitching in amusement. "And I appreciate the effort you're putting into this. I just want you to know that I'll do my best." His phone rang, and with a sigh he reached into his pocket, pulling it out and glancing at the screen. He looked up at Severus with a grimace. "It's Kingsley - this must be about the case. Do you mind if I take it?"

"No, of course not." Severus waved negligently and shook his head. "Go ahead." 

Remus smiled apologetically and hit 'talk'. "Yes, Kings, what is it?" He listened, then drew in a breath. "Right now? Okay, got it." He hung up, then looked at Severus, hating to end their date but knowing that as always, his duty had to come before his personal feelings. "I'm sorry, Severus, but I have to go. There's actually been a sighting of Greyback near the Malfoy estate. He might be about to go after Draco or something, and this is the first chance we've had to actually catch him." Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his wallet and extracted enough money to cover their meal. "I'll call you and let you know how it goes, all right?"

"Why can't I go with you?" Severus asked. "You might need back-up."

Remus rose to his feet, then looked down at Severus in surprise. "Go with me? That's pretty irregular, and the FBI doesn't like putting civilians in danger. Kingsley has a squad on its way, so I won't be alone."

"On its way isn't the same as already being there," Severus replied, pushing back his chair and standing as well, and Remus could see a stubborn line forming between his eyes. "Greyback is strong, dangerous, and crazy. Not the sort of man you ought to confront alone. I know how to shoot a gun, and besides, you're the one who has been calling this _our_ case. If you meant it, then I see no reason why I should be excluded from the possible culmination of our investigative efforts."

Torn between wanting to keep Severus safe and wanting him to be able to see Remus in action, doing what he did best, Remus hesitated. Time was of the essence, and he simply could waste any debating with Severus or himself. "All right, fine," he said, gesturing for Severus to follow him. "But you stay in the car!"

Severus looked pleased with himself as he followed Remus outside. "Haven't you ever watched police shows on television? It's never safe in the car," he said, although the argumentative edge was gone from his voice, as if he was prepared to concede on this point now that he'd gotten his way. 

"Television is not real life, believe me," Remus replied with a snort. He strode out of the restaurant and in moments they were in his car, speeding toward the high class area of Potomac where Malfoy lived. "Greyback used to be the groundskeeper on the estate, so he no doubt has knowledge about the best places to hide. We have to assume that he's dangerous and prepared to fight to the death."

"That is a logical assumption." Severus nodded somberly. "We will have to be very careful." 

"Yes, we will," Remus agreed. He concentrated on the road, driving as fast as he could and glad that it was well past rush hour as he sped around the Beltway. In short order he was pulling off the freeway and winding his way through residential streets surrounded by huge, expensive houses set behind stone fences. He pulled the car to the curb and turned off the ignition, then looked at Severus seriously. "I'm leaving the keys, in case you need to get out of here for some reason. Keep the doors locked - Greyback is dangerous, but I doubt he can get at you in here if he comes running out." He reached into his coat and pulled out his gun, checking it before giving Severus a smile. "Wish me luck."

"There isn't any such thing as luck," Severus replied with his usual pedantry, even at this fraught moment. "I do, however, wish you to use your skills to their best advantage." 

Remus laughed. "I will," he said, then opened the door and stood. He leaned back down to look into the car. "Remember, stay here!" With that he closed the door and hurried across the street toward the Malfoy house, pleased that he'd had the foresight to spend some time investigating the man and looking at the layout of his property when he'd learned that Greyback had been his gardener.

He didn't want to announce his presence to the Malfoy's, which might alert Greyback to his presence. Instead he decide to rely on his Ranger training, stalking Greyback as he would one of his targets in Afghanistan. It took little effort for him to scale the ten-foot wall around the estate, and he heaved himself over it, dropping lightly to the ground inside and crouching, immediately on alert.

It was quite in this upscale neighborhood, and he listened intently, straining to hear any footsteps or sounds of movement. He thought he heard something like a scrape of metal on stone coming from his left, and he glanced in that direction, seeing a shed that looked like it was used for housing gardening equipment. A grim smile curved his mouth; no doubt Greyback was hiding in there, perhaps even stealing things from the Malfoys to help support himself while he carried out his murderous campaign. Moving silently, he kept his gun in front of him, held with both hands, heading toward the shed with slow, wary steps. He looked to the left and right, and even up, scanning the trees for any sign of his quarry.

The moonlight was rather bright, and Remus silently cursed it because it made it almost impossible to see in through the windows of the shed. Greyback could be watching him from inside for all he knew, but there was little help for it, and hopefully the killer was too intent on whatever he was doing to notice Remus' approach.

Shortly he was at the door, and he drew in a deep breath, silently counting to three. At that point he released his gun with one hand, reaching toward the door handle, ready to spring inside and shoot if necessary.

Unfortunately, at that moment, a heavy weight dropped on him from above, knocking him to the ground and sending his gun flying out of his hand to land in the grass some distance away.

"Damn it!" Remus snarled. He hadn't expected to be ambushed, and he cursed himself for not having given the roof another glance before trying for the door. But he had little time for self-recrimination, too busy fighting for his life against a crazed madman to worry about the mistake which had put him in this situation.

"Die!" Greyback growled at him, his mouth full of pointed teeth and fetid breath right in Remus' face. Remus was no stranger to hand to hand combat, and even if Greyback was bigger than he, he wasn't going to go down without a fight. Not hesitating, Remus gouged for Greyback's eyes, missing one but managing to land his thumb dead center on the other, making Greyback howl in surprise and pain.

Summoning his strength, Remus tried to buck Greyback off so that he could get the advantage, but the man had managed to straddle Remus' hips, holding him pinned. One eye glared at Remus balefully, before Greyback lowered his head and bit Remus' shoulder, his horrible teeth going right through the cotton of Remus' shirt as though it were tissue. Remus hissed in pain as he felt his flesh punctured, and he redoubled his efforts to throw Greyback off, knowing exactly how much damage Greyback could cause to someone in a very short amount of time.

He managed to wriggle free, but before he could get his feet under himself Greyback was clutching at his shoulders, and he felt a sharp bite into his skin again. Looking down, he noticed with horror that Greyback wasn't completely unarmed; the man had broken the handles off of a pair of garden cultivators, and he had strapped them to the backs of his hands, the sharp tines projecting out over his fingers like claws. Claws that were currently digging into Remus' skin. No wonder the man had been able to shred his victims so horrendously.

At the moment, Remus was in a fight for his very life, against an opponent that was brutal beyond imagination. He struggled, managing to deal Greyback a staggering blow to the side of his head as he twisted, but the damned claws on one hand were tangled in his shirt, which meant he couldn't throw Greyback off him completely. Greyback slashed at him with the other claw, barely missing Remus' face and catching him along the other arm, biting into the flesh and sending agonizing pain shooting up his arm.

"Give up, the police are on their way," Remus ground out, hoping to get Greyback to disengage long enough for him to retrieve his gun. But Greyback was apparently caught up in the bloodlust and not about to listen to reason. He pulled his arm back, dodging another blow from Remus' fist, then swept his leg out and knocked Remus off balance, overbearing him and pressing him into the ground.

"Now you die," Greyback snarled, raising a claw above his head, the tines gleaming in the moonlight. Remus was pinned, unable to do anything but buck ineffectually, and he hated the fact that he was going to die like this, helpless to fight back, the same way he'd been helpless against his father's abuse as a boy. It was a stupid thing to think about as he stared his death in the face, and so he deliberately brought up an image of Severus instead, preferring to regret the brevity of their time together rather than for his last thought to be of the father who had failed him.

But instead of the final flash of Greyback's makeshift claws bearing down on him, Remus heard a loud crack, and half of Greyback's face exploded, spattering him with blood and flesh, and Greyback's body slumped atop him, pinning him with was was literally dead weight.


	5. Chapter 5

A few feet away, Severus stared down at Greyback along the length of the smoking barrel of Lupin's gun, his heart pounding wildly. He refused to call what had spurred him to disobey orders and leave the car an 'intuition', because he didn't believe in fate, luck, instincts, or intuitions; he preferred to think of it as prompt action based on logical deduction. The back-up team wasn't here yet, Greyback was dangerous, and they were in unfamiliar territory. Ergo, it was unwise for Lupin to wander around alone in what was essentially Greyback's territory, and he needed Severus' help. 

Severus had quickened his pace as he searched the grounds, and the sound of a howl led him straight to the scene of the struggle; he spotted Lupin's gun on the grass and snatched it up, his breath freezing in his lungs as he saw that Greyback had overpowered Lupin. Without thinking, he raised the gun and aimed at Greyback's head. It didn't matter that he'd never hurt, much less killed another human before; all that mattered was that Lupin was in danger, and Bill's words echoed in Severus' head as he pulled the trigger. 

_How would you feel if you thought you'd never see him again?_ Bill had asked. At the time, Severus didn't know, but now he did. He felt panicked and terrified, and he was willing to kill to keep Lupin from harm.

His arms were shaky as he lowered the gun and approached Lupin and Greyback slowly, his heart hammering against the walls of his chest. 

"Are you all right?" he asked, his voice low and filled with worry. 

Lupin pushed Greyback off of him and quickly felt for a pulse, then sighed in relief. "He's dead," Lupin said somberly, then looked up at Severus, apparently taking in the sight of the gun in Severus' hand and drawing the obvious conclusion. "You shot him. You saved my life, Severus." He paused, starting to say one thing, then seeming to change his mind. "Thank you."

"Yes..." Severus stared down at the mangled remains of Greyback's face, trying to process that _he_ had caused it. He thought he would have felt sickened at the thought of taking a human life, but he didn't, not when the life in question was this one. Not when Greyback had been about to kill Lupin. "I had to." He looked up at Lupin. "I couldn't let him hurt you." 

Lupin rose to his feet, wiping his hands on his shirt to remove most of the blood. "I appreciate that more than you can possibly know," he said, smiling despite the gore on his face and clothes. "I've never been so glad that someone disobeyed orders to stay put before - although you have to admit, it really would have been safer in the car, despite the what the television shows say."

"If I had stayed in the car like you told me to, you would be dead right now," Severus pointed out, giving Lupin an aggrieved look. "I... suspected you would need my help, and I was right." He flipped the safety on Lupin's gun and held it out, taking deep breaths to calm his jangled nerves. He had prided himself on being calm and cool under pressure, but somehow, this situation had rattled him. 

Lupin took the gun and nodded. "Yes, you were, and I'm glad you did, believe me," he said, then peered at Severus closely. "Are you all right? Do you need to sit down? It's not easy shooting another person, I know. It's quite normal to have a variety of reactions - cold chills, dizziness, nausea, numbness, so don't panic if you feel strange."

"It isn't that," Severus said, but the sound of voices and running footsteps interrupted before he could explain. "Later," he added just as Kingsley Shacklebolt sprinted over, heading up a small phalanx of dark suited men. 

Lupin touched Severus briefly on the shoulder, then turned to Kingsley, passing over the gun. 

"You got him?" Kingsley asked, looking at Greyback's body and nodding in satisfaction. "Good work, Remus. At least he won't hurt anyone again, and the legal system won't be able to let him out!"

"It wasn't me," Lupin denied, shaking his head. "Greyback surprised me, knocked away my gun, and was on the verge of killing me when Severus shot him."

Kingsley's eyebrows rose at that, and he looked at Severus. "You did? That was brave, Dr. Snape, very brave indeed. The Bureau owes you for saving one of our best agents and dispatching a serial killer."

"No, the Bureau doesn't owe me anything," Severus replied, shaking his head firmly. "I did what I had to do. The Bureau and the quality of Lupin's performance as an agent had nothing to do with it." 

"I see," Shacklebolt said, and Lupin broke in. 

"I know I need to give a report, but I'd like to keep it brief so that I can get Severus home," Lupin said.

"Of course," Shacklebolt replied. He looked at Severus. "Do you feel up to giving a statement now?"

"Yes, I can give my statement now," Severus replied, ready to get the necessary paperwork over with. 

Shacklebolt led him back to one of the nondescript black cars that FBI agents seemed to drive, and Severus answered his questions calmly, providing as much specific information as he could remember, although he didn't mention that he just happened to be with Lupin because they had somehow ended up on a date. He still wasn't certain how that had happened himself, and he didn't care to try to explain it to Shacklebolt. The interview was brief, and Shacklebolt seemed inclined to make it as easy on Severus as possible, probably out of gratitude. Whatever the reason, Shacklebolt wrapped things up quickly, and by the time Severus was finished and ready to go, so was Lupin, who had given his report to one of the agents with Shacklebolt. 

"May we go now?" Severus asked as he approached Lupin. In the distance, he could see the other agents busily investigating the scene, their movement occasionally punctuated by the flash of a camera, and he looked away, ready to put Greyback behind him for good.

"Yes, we can," Lupin replied, his tone oddly gentle. "Shall I drive you home and have one of the other agents return your car tomorrow? Or I can take you to the restaurant and then follow you home."

Severus considered his options for a moment; for all that he preferred to be independent, he was aware that he had just had a difficult experience, and his mental preoccupation might affect his driving skills. "I don't think it is wise for me to drive myself under the circumstances," he said. "I wouldn't want to present a hazard to myself or other drivers on the road."

"Then I shall take you home," Lupin said. He lead Severus to the car, then chuckled. "You still have my keys, I'm afraid."

"Oh. Right." Severus fished the keys out of his pocket and unlocked the doors before handing over the keys. "Are you certain you don't want to go home and clean up first?" he asked once they were both in the car and he was buckled up. 

Lupin looked at him closely for a moment, then nodded. "All right, if you don't mind then we can go to my house," he said. He started the car, turned around and headed back toward the Beltway. "My place isn't far, actually. Not nearly as fancy as Malfoy's house, but it's comfortable enough."

"I don't mind. I imagine it isn't comfortable or pleasant for you being covered in human remains." Severus settled in his seat with a quiet sigh, a wave of fatigue suddenly washing over him, but given the unexpected and tumultuous events of the evening, he wasn't surprised. There would be no staying up to write until the wee hours for him tonight; all he really wanted to do was take a hot shower and crawl into bed. 

"It's not my favorite coating, no," Lupin replied. Then he fell silent until they exited the highway again, entering a suburban neighborhood of small, neat homes. Lupin took several turns before making the final one into a driveway, and he stopped the car and touched Severus gently on the shoulder. "Here we are. Come on in, you can have something to drink, if you like, while I get cleaned up."

"Something alcoholic, I assume?" Severus asked hopefully as he unfastened the seatbelt and opened the car door. 

"If that's what you'd like, I have it," Lupin said, exiting the car and heading toward the small front porch. He unlocked the door and flipped a switch on the wall inside, then waited for Severus to enter before closing and locking the door again.

They were standing in a living room which was carpeted in thick, deep blue with furniture of a lighter shade. There was a big screen television on one wall and a drum set in the corner, and a variety of small, obviously child-made knickknacks stood on the mantle of the fireplace. There was a staircase leading up on the other wall, beyond which seemed to be the entrance to the kitchen.

"I have whiskey, beer, wine, and I think there's a bottle of vodka left over from a party I had a few months ago," Lupin said, heading toward the kitchen. "Have a seat and I'll bring you whatever you'd like."

"Whiskey will be fine," Severus replied as he took a seat on the couch, looking around at the room with vague interest. The room had far more personal touches than either Severus' home or his office, which wasn't surprising, given their respective personalities. 

There was a sound of running water, then a couple of cabinets being opened and closed. After a few moments Lupin returned, obviously having washed his hands and cleaned up briefly before making Severus' drink. He held out a glass almost half full of golden amber whiskey with a slight smile. "Would you like the television or radio on? I can be showered and changed in five minutes."

"No, thank you." Severus took the glass gratefully. "Go ahead and shower. I'll be fine." 

Lupin nodded. "All right. Back in just a few minutes," he promised, then headed up the stairs. Severus could hear him moving around overhead, so the master bedroom must have been located directly over the living room.

Releasing another slow sigh, Severus leaned back against the cushions and drank deeply, deciding this wasn't a time for sipping; the alcohol created a warm trail down to his stomach, relaxing him, and he found himself on the verge of nodding off. 

"You look exhausted," Lupin's voice said from nearby, and Severus felt the glass being taken gently from his fingers. "I have a guest room, if you'd prefer to stay here tonight."

A refusal hovered on the tip of Severus' tongue; he knew it wasn't wise to spend the night under Lupin's roof given the conversation they'd had earlier, but when he opened his eyes and looked up at Lupin, the refusal died unuttered as Severus' mouth went dry. He'd never seen Lupin look so casual before; he didn't even know it was possible, but there Lupin stood in sweatpants that weren't nearly loose enough to hide his firm backside and a white tank that showed Severus exactly how well-built Lupin was.

"I _am_ tired," he conceded. "And I don't particularly want to be alone." 

Lupin smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "You don't have to be," he replied, holding out a hand to help Severus up from the sofa. "Come on upstairs. I can give you something to sleep in, and it shouldn't matter if it's a little big. Would you like a shower first?"

Severus hesitated, then clasped Lupin's hand and let Lupin help him up, ignoring the little frisson the contact gave him. "No, I didn't get splattered," he said. "I'll shower in the morning, when I'm not at risk of falling asleep in the middle of it." He gazed down at Lupin, aware of the warmth of Lupin's fingers curled around his, and he wasn't certain whether it was due to the alcohol or fatigue, but he found himself saying, "I realized I'm more attached to you than I thought."

Lupin was quiet for a moment, but his eyes were warm, and he gave Severus' fingers a squeeze. "I'm sure you must find that a bit disconcerting," Lupin said softly. "But I'm pleased and flattered, believe me."

"Disconcerting is something of an understatement," Severus replied with a snort. "But the truth is, I didn't shoot Greyback because it was the right thing to do or because I was afraid for myself. I didn't shoot to incapacitate because he was threatening _you_ , and that was... unacceptable." 

Lupin was still looking him, and he lifted his free hand to gently brush the side of Severus' face. "I would have felt the same if he'd been threatening you," Lupin replied. Then his eyes fell to Severus' lips. "I would kiss you for that, if it weren't for that whole social rule against kissing on the first date."

Apprehension and anticipation were at war within Severus, but he was determined not to be ruled by fear any longer. Drawing in a deep breath, he braced himself to face his fear head-on. "Under the circumstances, I think we're entitled to bend the rules." 

"I agree completely." Lupin released his hand then, but only so that he could slide his arms around Severus' waist, stepping closer and leaning in to brush his lips against Severus' in a light, questioning kiss.

Severus rested his hands at Lupin's waist and returned the kiss just as lightly, his lips tingling from the brief contact. 

"That was a first date kiss," Lupin said, not stepping back or releasing Severus. His blue eyes had darkened, and his smile was playful. "Do you think the circumstances warrant bending enough for a second-date kiss?"

Severus knew it probably wasn't a good idea to say yes, but he found himself nodding anyway. "Perhaps so. It was a rather eventful evening." 

"That it most certainly was." Lupin smiled, then leaned closer again. This time he kissed Severus more firmly, his hands sliding up Severus' back in a lingering caress, his tongue skimming Severus' lower lip as though seeking permission.

Against his better judgment, Severus gave that permission, parting his lips and allowing Lupin to slip his tongue between them for a deeper taste; it was difficult to relax fully when part of him wanted to run away screaming to safety, but he was determined to conquer his fear of intimacy, especially now that he knew he had somehow become more deeply attached to Lupin than he expected, especially in the brief time they had known each other. Perhaps, however, his subconscious had known what Lupin had said: they were not a perfectly matched set, but they were complementary.

Lupin gave a soft hum as he explored Severus' mouth slowly but thoroughly as though waiting for Severus to push him away, while his hands still caressed Severus' back soothingly. There was careful restraint in Lupin's kiss, as though he were holding back so as not to push Severus too hard or too fast. Feeling that restraint reminded Severus of his initial musings about how aggressive Lupin might be in bed when he had thought about the possibility of an affair, something brief, easy, and non-threatening. Instead, an affair was out of the question, and he suspected Lupin would be the "all or nothing" type, especially given Lupin had cut him off once before. The thought of "all" and the intimacy and longevity it implied scared Severus, because it was new and unfamiliar and so much more than he'd ever wanted. 

But he knew thinking about "all" was too much, and he risked overwhelming himself; instead, he would take small steps and think only about what was going on right now. He didn't want to think about months, years, or a lifetime, but he could handle a kiss. Thus he forced himself to release the tension in his body, and he yielded to the kiss, allowing Lupin to taste and explore freely. Lupin did so, seeming to desire to commit Severus' mouth to memory.

After a time Lupin drew back slowly, relinquishing Severus' mouth with a small, playful nip of his lower lip. Lupin's lips were damp and rosy, and there was a glint in his eye, as though something dark and primal were there, carefully restrained. "I like the way you taste," Lupin said, his voice deep and husky. There was a flush on his cheeks and his breathing had sped up, and he smiled at Severus. "I think I could quickly become addicted."

The hint of something wild in Lupin's eyes gave Severus a pleasurable little thrill; he gravitated toward dominant, aggressive lovers, and he hoped the signs pointed to Lupin being that way behind his pleasant demeanor. 

"Thank you," he said, uncertain what else to say in response. "That is the first time anyone has given commentary on how I taste."

"More fool they," Lupin replied. He swooped in to capture Severus' lips again, kissing him hard and possessively, a hungry little growl rumbling in his chest.

For a moment, Severus was too shocked by Lupin's unexpected move to respond - and then he shocked himself by parting his lips and surrendering to the kiss, clinging to Lupin's shoulders when he felt his knees go weak at the sound of the growl. Lupin deepened the kiss, but he didn't press further than he had before. He drew back once more, leaning his forehead against Severus' for a moment. "I think that counts as perhaps a two-and-a-half date kiss, which means I should stop now. You've had a very stressful time of it, and I don't want you to be overwhelmed by everything."

Severus felt rather dazed, even a little aroused, and his lips were tingling again, but he nodded agreement. "This isn't a psychologically favorable time to make decisions," he said. 

"Then why don't we get you upstairs," Lupin said. He stepped back, but kept an arm around Severus' waist as he directed them toward the stairs. "I have a comfortable guest room, so you don't have to sleep in Teddy's bed."

"I doubt I would fit," Severus pointed out. He thought perhaps he ought to object to being steered since he was perfectly capable of walking on his own, but the warm weight of Lupin's arm was pleasant, and he was just off-kilter enough to allow it this once. 

"There is that," Lupin replied with a warm chuckle. They made it to the hallway at the top of the stairs, and Lupin led him into a bedroom that was obviously his own. Lupin released him and moved toward a dresser, sliding open a drawer and pulling clothing from it. "Let me get you some sweatpants and a t-shirt to sleep in, and a towel and washcloth for in the morning, just in case you wake up before me and want to shower. And feel free to wake me up if you do; I know you're not a morning person, but stress can do odd things to your sleeping patterns."

It took Severus a moment of thought before he figured out that Lupin was issuing an invitation for Severus to wake him up if Severus desired company in the morning, _not_ that Lupin was suggesting that Severus wake him up for a joint shower, which was almost disappointing. 

"Very well," he said, and then he paused, a thought occurring to him. "Perhaps I should let the others know I will likely be in late tomorrow morning," he added. Going in late was not something he did; if anything, he was usually there early despite his innate night owl tendencies. Then a thought even more outlandish than the first popped into his head. "Perhaps I should even consider taking the day off."

"That might be wise, actually," Lupin said, passing over the clothing. "I'll probably do the same thing; the Bureau encourages us to take time off after a stressful case; not to mention I've already put in well over forty hours this week." He gestured toward the hallway. "Towels and such are in the hall closet, and I also have a supply of sample sized soaps and shampoos. I'll get you a fresh razor as well."

"Thank you. I appreciate it." Severus accepted the clothing and watched Lupin expectantly. "Which way is the guest bedroom?" he asked. 

"I'll take you, never fear," Lupin replied. He stepped out into the hall, then opened the door to the room across from his. "This is the guest room, and the bath is right next door. Teddy's room is next to mine, and this..." he opened a folding door next to the guest room, "is the closet." Lupin extracted a towel, washcloth, handtowel and toiletries, then led Severus into the guest room.

A queen-sized bed dominated the room, but there was also a dresser and a night stand, everything done in earthtone shades of green and beige. Lupin placed what he was carrying on the dresser, then turned to Severus again. "The bed has sheets on it already, and there's a phone on the nightstand if your cell is low and you need it to call your office. Is there anything you else you think you might need?"

 _My sanity back_ , Severus thought as he considered all the upheavals he had experienced over the course of a single evening, but outwardly, he only shook his head. "I'll be fine, thank you." 

"Well, then... I hope you have a good night. Sleep well, Severus," Lupin said, then smiled and stepped toward the door.

For one mad moment, Severus thought about inviting Lupin to stay, but it was far too soon, and he didn't want to make things harder for himself _or_ Lupin if this... whatever-it-was didn't work out. Considering the odds were against it, he thought that was the safer recourse. 

"Good night," he said instead. "Thank you again for your hospitality." 

Lupin turned back and smiled. "You saved my life, Severus; showing you hospitality is the very least I can do! Please wake me if you need anything, all right? Even if all you want to do is talk and not be alone, I'm fine with that."

"All right, I will." Severus nodded, although he was tired enough that he hoped stress-induced insomnia wouldn't be an issue. 

"Then goodnight," Lupin replied, giving Severus a last, lingering look. Then he left the room and shut the door softly behind him.

Severus watched him go and then sat down on the edge of the bed, feeling a little adrift; for all that he was physically and mentally exhausted, he wasn't certain he wanted to turn out the lights and close his eyes - to be alone in the darkness - just yet. Instead, he retrieved his phone and sent a brief email to his colleagues, informing them that he was taking the following day off. He'd only just finished changing into the sweatpants and tee shirt Lupin had loaned him when his phone buzzed, and he found he had a response from Regulus, who was a night owl like him.

_OMG Are you all right? Are you in the hospital? You aren't dying, are you?_

Severus snorted and composed a response, assuring Regulus that he wasn't in mortal peril, and he went ahead and explained what had happened, CCing the message to the others since he knew if Regulus was that worried, Bill likely would have found a way to track him down personally in order to make certain he wasn't on his death bed. After he put the phone away, it occurred to him that the email was a sign of genuine concern about his well-being, which he hadn't expected. Perhaps Bill wasn't the only one on the team to feel a measure of attachment for him, and he wondered how it was possible that his colleagues could develop an attachment for someone like him, who eschewed socialization both in and out of the workplace and who made it clear he didn't need or want friends, merely competent employees. He wasn't warm or friendly or charming, and yet people insisted on liking him. It was quite puzzling, and for a moment, he was tempted to go down the hall and ask Lupin about it, but he decided that particular question could wait until morning. 

With a weary sigh, he crawled under the covers, and for once, he fell asleep quickly and didn't dream.


	6. Epilogue

Severus looked around at the stacks of unopened boxes and the furniture that had yet to be integrated, but it was only the first day of the moving process. In time, everything would be sorted out and put in its place, and in the meantime, Severus could handle a little organized chaos. It was, after all, an apt description of what his life had become since Remus came along. Nothing had been the same, but over the past six months, he had adjusted to the idea of being with someone, of caring and being cared for; trust had built slowly, but it _had_ built, mainly because Remus had been both patient and persistent, seeming determined to prove to Severus that he wasn't going to leave or give up or disappear. 

Thus when Remus had broached the subject of cohabitation, Severus had agreed, mainly because he had decided their relationship was going to be a long-term one after all, and he was tired of the inconvenience involved in alternating nights at each other's residence. For some reason, his focus on the logical aspects of the decision seemed to amuse Remus, but there was still much he didn't understand about other people, despite having been more intimately involved with someone for months. 

When he had mentioned the move to his colleagues, Regulus and Hermione had both uttered exclamations of frustration while Bill smirked and said, "Pay up." Later, after they had congratulated him, Regulus told him that Bill was the only one of them who thought he'd move in with Remus in less than a year. 

But he had, and he didn't regret it, despite the current mess in his - now their - house. Remus had suggested moving into Severus' house because despite being in a relationship, Severus still preferred privacy and solitude from neighbors, and his house was large enough to spare a room for Remus' son when he visited, to give Remus a private office and space for his workout equipment, and to give Severus a respite when he'd had enough of being around other people. 

If anyone had told him he would end up involved with a FBI agent who couldn't tell a clavicle from a coccyx and who was a romantic _and_ a cuddler to boot, he would have thought they were crazy. And yet here he was. He still trusted logic and reason over emotion and instincts, but he wasn't afraid of his own feelings any longer, and he had gradually accepted that Remus had been right about not judging everyone he met based on what his parents had done. Attachments were no longer dangerous and frightening things to be avoided, and while he was still very much an introvert, he didn't mind going out and doing social things with the people he now considered his friends once in a while. 

But for tonight, socializing was out of the question. After a long day of hauling boxes and furniture into and out of the moving truck, he thought he and Remus both deserved the night off. If he knew Remus - and at this point, he thought he did, which was a novel experience - he suspected a shared hot bath, pizza delivery, and perhaps a massage would be involved, all of which sounded fine to him. He also thought he would suggest opening the bottle of champagne Bill had given him - them - as a housewarming present as a way of celebrating their first night as official domestic partners. 

Severus had experienced many firsts - first relationship, first cohabitation, even first love - thanks to Remus, and he suspected there would be more in the future. As long as that future kept the two of them together, Severus would consider it a happy one indeed. 

"That's the last of this lot," Remus said, walking in through the front door with a large box in his arms. He was wearing a tank top despite the fact that it was December, and his muscles rippled as he placed the heavy box atop a stack of similar ones. "Whew! At least now we can do things a bit at a time." He walked over to Severus, leaning in to capture a swift kiss. "I am now officially moved in, and believe me, I couldn't be happier!"

"It would hardly make sense to move in if it made you unhappy," Severus pointed out. 

"But of course," Remus replied, chuckling softly. He had a wicked gleam in his eye, the reason for which became obvious as he pulled Severus into his arms and against his warm, sweaty body. "Now, let's see... Should we celebrate now since we're already sweaty, or shall we have a bath and then get sweaty all over again?"

"If we bathe now and get sweaty again later, it would necessitate another bath," Severus replied as he slid his arms around Remus' shoulders. "It seems more expedient to celebrate now and take a bath later."

"Sounds like an excellent plan, Dr. Snape," Remus drawled, pulling Severus close against his body and letting Severus feel just how much he felt like celebrating. "I got you a housewarming present. Something that you might enjoy using as part of our celebration."

"Oh?" Severus raised a questioning eyebrow, intrigued by the possibilities. "What is it?" 

Remus leaned close to whisper in Severus' ear. "An official pair of FBI handcuffs," he murmured. "I thought that perhaps you'd enjoy a rather rough interrogation."

Severus' eyes widened with that, and an anticipatory frisson rippled down his spine. "Yes, I would," he replied, his voice low and husky. "I assume you know where to find them amid all this mess." 

"Of course," Remus replied. He reached behind himself and the produced a gleaming set of cuffs from his back pocket, holding them up with a smug smile. "So, Dr. Snape, are you going to tell me what I want to know, or am I going to have to through away the book to get what I want from you?"

"I'll never talk," Severus replied, licking his lips as he gazed at the handcuffs longingly. "Never." 

"So you want to play hardball," Remus said, his voice turning steely. In a swift move he had Severus suddenly spun around, and the cuffs closed around Severus' wrists. Remus pulled Severus back against his body. "That's fine with me, Dr. Snape. I rather enjoy not playing by the rules."

With that he pushed Severus toward the stairs. Severus tugged at the handcuffs just to feel the welcome restraints as he headed quickly for the stairs, hard-pressed not to break into a run in his eagerness to reach the bedroom. Their sometimes rough-and-tumble play wasn't conventional, but then again, nothing about either of them or their relationship was conventional, and that was fine with Severus. He might never find closure about his parents, but he'd found peace and healing from an entirely different and unexpected source, and he was able to put the past behind him at last and focus on the future. A future which promised a rousing game of "FBI Agent and Uncooperative Suspect", which was the best kind of future of all.


End file.
